Trump 'unafraid' of military action against Iranian regime amid protest, White House says 'all options on table'

The White House on Sunday (Jan 12) confirmed that US President Donald Trump is considering military options, including airstrikes, in Iran amid intensifying protests. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that though Trump prefers “diplomacy” and wants it to be the first option he is “unafraid” to use any military options. Echoing Trump's statement that Tehran “wants to negotiate”, Leavitt said that the private messages from Iranian leadership to the White House are different from what they speak in public.

"One thing President Trump is very good at is always keeping all of his options on the table," Leavitt said. “And airstrikes would be one of the many, many options that are on the table for the commander-in-chief. Diplomacy is always the first option for the president. The president has shown he's unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran," Leavitt added. Later, speaking to Fox News, Leavitt said, "Iran is communicating "quite different" messages to the United States in private compared to its public statements."

This comes after Trump said that Iran had called seeking "to negotiate" after his threats of military action. However, he added that the US may take action before the meeting. "The leaders of Iran called yesterday…a meeting is being set up…They want to negotiate…we may have to act before a meeting." He had assured “brave” people of Iran of help amid requests from exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.

Iran Protest: What we know

People of Iran took to streets against the collapsing economy of the country in December 2025. The protest that was started by traders and shopkeepers as a part of falling rate of Iranian Rial snowballed into challenge against the clerical regime, with demands for the removal of the country’s supreme leader Khamenei. Some protesters chanted slogans in favour of Iran's exiled Crown Prince and son of Shah, Reza Pahlavi prompting his response. He has actively supported the protest from afar and has also hinted homecoming. Protests have also spread to other countries, including the US, UK, Germany, France, Turkiye, and Pakistan, in solidarity with the protesters in Iran. The Iranian government has blamed the US and Israel for iginiting the demonstration and launched a mssive crackdown including internet blockade. US-based rights group HRANA said that over 500 people have been killed, including security forces. The demonstrations in Iran are the most significant since a 2022-2023 movement sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating dress code for women.