Human rights groups say Iranian security forces have killed hundreds of protesters in recent days, prompting President Trump to threaten military intervention.
President Trump says he is considering military options in Iran amid protests
Anti-government protests in Iran are entering their third week and the death toll is rising.
President Donald Trump has announced tariffs on goods from all countries doing business with Iran as he presses Iran to end a deadly crackdown on widespread protests.
“Effective immediately, countries doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a 25% tariff on all trade with the United States,” President Trump said on social media. “This order is final and conclusive.”
Iranian security forces have killed hundreds of protesters in recent days as people took to the streets to express anger over the country’s economic woes and social and cultural restrictions. The Human Rights Defenders News Agency announced that 500 protesters had been confirmed dead. The Iranian regime imposed an internet blackout during the demonstrations.
Hadi Ghami, executive director of the Iranian Center for Human Rights, told USA TODAY on January 12: “Since the internet and communications shutdown, a genocide has been waged in this country. This is a war being waged against the protesters.”
Aside from recent tariffs, President Trump has also hinted at military action on Iran.
“What President Trump has been very good at is keeping all options on the table,” White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said on January 12. “And airstrikes will be one of many, many options on the commander-in-chief’s table.”
President Trump’s new tariffs threaten to curb Iran’s economic activity, adding to the pressure on the Iranian regime after years of international sanctions. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Iran, which has a population of approximately 92 million people, has Iraq, China, and Turkey as its largest export partners.
President Trump said Iranian leaders had called for negotiations over the weekend and that a potential meeting was in the works. Levitt said that while diplomacy is “always the first option,” Trump has “demonstrated that he is not afraid to use the military option if he deems it necessary, and no one knows that better than Iran.”
Last summer, President Trump ordered the U.S. military to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities.
(This story has been updated with more information.)
Contributors: Kim Hjelmgaard, Joey Garrison
