January 14, 2026 | 12:39 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Pentagon has presented President Donald Trump with a broader range of military options against Iran than previously reported, according to The New York Times, cited by WION on Monday.
Citing a US official, the report said the options extend beyond the US airstrikes carried out in June and include potential targets linked to Iran’s nuclear program as well as ballistic missile sites. However, the official noted that more limited measures—such as cyberattacks or strikes on Iran’s domestic security apparatus—are considered more likely.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that airstrikes were “one of many, many options available to the commander-in-chief,” but stressed that diplomacy remained Trump’s preferred approach.
On Sunday, Trump warned that his administration was weighing “very strong” actions against Iran, including the possibility of military intervention.
Trump Cancels Meetings With Iranian Officials
On Tuesday, Trump announced that he had canceled all meetings with Iranian officials and urged protesters in Iran to “take over your institutions.”
In a social media post, Trump said that “help is on the way,” without elaborating. He has openly discussed the possibility of ordering military strikes against Iran in recent days.
When asked by reporters to clarify his remarks, Trump declined to provide details. “You’re going to have to figure that one out. I’m sorry,,” he said, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.
“I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!! [MAGA]”
Trump has repeatedly threatened military action as a means of pressuring Tehran to comply with US demands. He said last week that a harsh crackdown on protesters by Iranian authorities could trigger a US strike.
On Monday, Trump also announced that any country continuing to do business with Iran would face a 25 percent tariff. The following day, the US State Department issued a warning urging American citizens to “leave Iran now” amid rising tensions.
In an interview with CBS News, Trump reiterated that the United States would take “very strong actions” if Iranian authorities executed protesters. He added that he had not yet received “accurate numbers” on the death toll.
Risks of Escalation
Analysts have warned that a US military strike—one that could violate international law—may lead to unpredictable consequences in Iran, which is experiencing its largest wave of protests in years.
“The Iranian people are caught between a repressive regime and foreign aggression,” said Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group, in an interview with Al Jazeera.
“If the president decides to do political decapitation in Iran, what comes after?” Vaez said. “There’s no organised, viable opposition inside Iran that can take over immediately. So the more likely scenario is that more repressive elements within the Revolutionary Guard will take over.”
“If he [Trump] creates a total vacuum at the top of the Iranian system, then the country might descend into violent chaos and civil strife in the way that we saw in Libya, or in Syria, or in Yemen, or in Iraq.”
Conflicting Death Toll Claims
The US-based Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that more than 2,400 people have been killed during the unrest, while Iranian state media claimed that over 100 security personnel have died.
Al Jazeera said it was unable to independently verify the figures, citing a five-day internet blackout that has severely restricted the flow of information.
Iranian officials have repeatedly accused the United States of fomenting the unrest. Iran’s top military commander, Abdolrahim Mousavi, recently alleged—without providing evidence—that the US and Israel had deployed ISIL (ISIS) operatives inside Iran to carry out attacks.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi previously claimed in an interview with Al Jazeera that authorities possessed recordings allegedly showing foreign actors instructing “terrorist agents” to shoot police and protesters.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, accused Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being the “main killers of the people of Iran.”
Read: US Lauds Freeing of American Prisoners in Venezuela
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