Trump says U.S. mulling ‘some very strong options’ on Iran as protest death toll risesYour support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Read more
Donald Trump is “unafraid” to use military options against Iran as hundreds of protesters are killed in a brutal crackdown, with fears growing of a major escalation between the US and Tehran.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that airstrikes are among the “many, many options” that the president is considering but that “diplomacy is always the first option for the president.”
Monitoring groups say at least 544 people have been killed in clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
“We are ready for war but also for dialogue,” Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi responded.
He said that warnings of military action against Tehran from Trump, if the protests turned bloody, would motivate “terrorists” to target protesters and security forces to provoke foreign intervention.
Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyber-attacks and direct strikes by the US or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions.
But the US president also said Tehran had been in touch and “they want to negotiate” to prevent such action.
The US-based rights group HRANA reported on Sunday evening that the death toll had surpassed 500, and that more than 10,000 people had been arrested.
Republican senator says future of Iran’s leader is ‘limited’ as Trump leans towards action
The White House confirmed Monday that the president was considering airstrikes within Iran’s borders, an act that would mark a largely unprecedented step for the American government but would not be outside the realm of possibility for Donald Trump, who last year directed strikes to disable Iran’s nuclear weapons development program.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told reporters that air strikes remained on the table but stopped short of saying that the president would consider deploying U.S. forces on the ground to protect protesters, a notable distinction given that Trump has signaled his own openness to deploying forces in such a manner inside Venezuela.
Read the full article here:
Holly Evans12 January 2026 22:05
Airstrikes among ‘many options’ for Trump but ‘diplomacy’ is first option
White House says airstrikes are among options for Iran but diplomacy is first choice.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has told reporters that airstrikes are among the “many, many options” that President Donald Trump is considering but that “diplomacy is always the first option for the president.”Trump on Sunday said Iranian officials have reached out for talks. He has threatened to take military action against the Islamic Republic for its crackdown on the protests.
“What you’re hearing publicly from the Iranian regime is quite different from the messages the administration is receiving privately, and I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages,” Leavitt said.
“However, with that said, the president has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.”
The U.S. last year bombed Iranian nuclear sites when it inserted itself into the 12-day war between Israel and Iran.
Holly Evans12 January 2026 21:35
White House considers Iran’s last-minute nuclear offer
Donald Trump is reportedly considering a last-ditch Iranian offer to engage in diplomacy over curbing it’s nuclear programme, as the U.S. presidents leans towards authorising military strikes, officials have said.
The Wall Street Journal reports that senior administration aides, including vice president JD Vance are urging the president to try diplomacy before retaliating against Iran, where hundreds of protesters have been killed in a brutal crackdown by the regime.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Trump said a “meeting is being set up” after Tehran contacted the White House to say they were willing to enter negotiations.
Holly Evans12 January 2026 21:20
Iran’s diplomatic staff banned from European parliament
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has banned all diplomatic staff and any other representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran from all European Parliament premises.
She wrote on X: “It cannot be business as usual.
“As the brave people of Iran continue to stand up for their rights and their liberty, today I have taken the decision to ban all diplomatic staff and any other representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran from all European Parliament premises.
“This House will not aid in legitimising this regime that has sustained itself through torture, repression and murder.”
Daniel Keane12 January 2026 21:00
Labour anger over Starmer’s refusal to proscribe IRGC
In 2023, foreign secretary Yvette Cooper – then the shadow home secretary – announced a Labour policy to proscribe the IRGC as criticism mounted over then Tory government’s refusal to do so.
But in an apparent U-turn, business secretary Peter Kyle insisted that the UK government has “already used the sanctions against Iran to the full extent we can” and would not be proscribing the IRGC.
In the wake of the senior minister’s interview, two Labour backbenchers – Hemel Hempstead MP David Taylor and Leeds South West and Morley MP Mark Sewards – broke ranks to demand that the IRGC is proscribed as the world reacts with shock to the rising death toll in Tehran and other Iranian cities.
Mr Taylor said: “To watch the IRGC respond by gunning down peaceful protestors is a dark and despicable crime, one which is all too familiar to the Middle East. From Syria to Yemen to Ukraine, the malign role of Tehran in sowing destruction is beyond any doubt.
“We also know the threat the IRGC poses on our streets, from assassination plots to threatening journalists. The government must urgently bring forward the legislation proposed by Jonathan Hall KC to tackle this state-threat and fulfil our manifesto commitment.”
Mr Sewards, the chair of Labour Friends of Israel (LFI), added: “The government must act to proscribe the IRGC by bringing forward without delay the legislative proposals outlined by Jonathan Hall KC to combat state threats.”
David Maddox12 January 2026 20:00
Comment: If Iran falls, the United Nations will be first to feel the shockwaves
As the Islamic Republic teeters, the various pariah states with which it does nefarious business will soon be asking themselves a difficult question, writes Mark Almond – whose side are we on now?
Daniel Keane12 January 2026 19:00
Turkey claims foreign intervention in Iran will lead to regional crisis
Turkey has warned that foreign intervention in Iran will lead to a “crisis” for the wider region, in an apparent message to Donald Trump not to launch strikes against the country.
Ankara called for U.S. and Iranian negotiations to resolve existing problems.
Iran is facing its biggest demonstrations since 2022 and Trump has threatened to get involved if force is used against protesters. Human rights organisations say hundreds of protesters are likely to have been killed.
NATO member Turkey does not wish to see chaos in Iran despite “certain problems within Iranian society and government”, Omer Celik, spokesperson for Turkey’s ruling Party, said.
“As Iranian President (Masoud) Pezeshkian has stated, these problems must be resolved through the internal dynamics of Iranian society and the national will of Iran,” Celik told a press conference after a meeting of the ruling party.
“We believe that foreign intervention will lead to even worse consequences, and that intervention provoked by Israel in particular will lead to even greater crises.”
Daniel Keane12 January 2026 18:30
Yvette Cooper calls on Iran to ‘immediately end’ violence against protesters
Yvette Cooper told her Iranian counterpart on Monday that his government must immediately end the violence against protesters in the country.
“The killing & brutal repression of peaceful protesters in Iran is horrific,” the foreign secretary said on social media platform X.
“I have spoken to (Iranian) Foreign Minister Araghchi and told him directly: the Iranian government must immediately end the violence, uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, and ensure British nationals are safe.”
Holly Evans12 January 2026 18:00
Watch: Shocking Iranian video footage shows bodies strewn outside morgue after vicious crackdownShocking Iranian video footage shows bodies strewn outside morgue after vicious crackdown
Daniel Keane12 January 2026 17:45
Could Iran retaliate against US military bases?
Iran has threatened retaliatory attacks against Israel and US military centres in the Middle East after tensions escalated amid widespread demonstrations against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Several US military bases lie within reach of Iran’s short-range weapons, according to estimates by the CSIS Missile Defence Project in the New York Times.
These include bases and military sites in Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates — all of which may be at risk of Iranian retaliation with short-range weapons.
In the wider region, the US operates a broad network of sites across at least 19 locations, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Here are the bases below.
Daniel Keane12 January 2026 17:15