President Donald Trump has received detailed briefings on a spectrum of covert and military actions aimed at Iran, according to senior Pentagon officials. This development coincides with alarming reports that the Islamic Republic is poised to carry out the first executions of anti-government demonstrators, as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei intensifies a brutal crackdown.
Covert Strikes and a Looming Execution
Sources within the US Department of Defense confirmed to CBS News that the presented options include potential long-range missile strikes, cyber operations, and psychological campaigns. The president's national security team was scheduled to convene at the White House on Tuesday to discuss the approaches, though Trump's personal attendance remained uncertain.
Meanwhile, human rights organisations have issued urgent warnings. The regime allegedly plans to execute 26-year-old Erfan Soltani on Wednesday. Soltani was arrested last Saturday during a protest in Fardis, Alborz Province, and swiftly sentenced to death. He has reportedly been denied access to legal counsel.
Tehran's attorney general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, declared on Saturday that any protest participant would be considered an 'enemy of God' – a charge carrying the death penalty. The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights estimates that 648 people have been killed since the unrest began, including nine minors, but warns the true death toll may exceed 6,000.
A Nation in Turmoil: Streets Turned 'Warzones'
The protests, triggered by economic collapse and currency devaluation late last year, have seen nearly 10,700 arrests and thousands more injured. Witnesses describe scenes of horrific violence, with security forces firing Kalashnikov-style rifles at unarmed civilians. "It's like a warzone, the streets are full of blood," an anonymous Iranian told the BBC. "They're carrying out a massacre here."
Graphic videos from the Kahrizak Forensic Medicine Centre, south of Tehran, show dozens of bodies in bags laid out in a large room as families attempt identification. In one harrowing clip, a mother screams for her motionless child to rise. A mortuary worker in Mashhad reported that between 180 and 200 bodies with severe head injuries were buried before sunrise on Friday. Disturbingly, sources claim security forces have demanded 'payment for bullets' before releasing bodies to grieving families.
Diplomatic Posturing and Economic Stranglehold
Amid the bloodshed, diplomatic channels show conflicting signals. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, stated Tehran is "prepared for war" yet open to talks with Washington. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed an Iranian official had contacted Trump's special envoy, noting Iran's public defiance contrasts with private messages.
President Trump has threatened "very strong options" if more demonstrators are killed and announced a new 25% tariff on countries trading with Iran, calling the order "final and conclusive." This compounds existing severe US sanctions, with inflation driving food prices up by 70%.
On Monday, Supreme Leader Khamenei praised pro-government rallies, calling them a warning to US politicians. Meanwhile, Iranians received ominous state text messages advising families to "take care of their youth and teenagers" to keep them from protests.
For the first time since the crackdown began, limited mobile phone access to call abroad was restored on Tuesday, offering a brief window to the outside world. Witnesses in Tehran described a heavy security presence with anti-riot police and Basij militia armed with batons, shotguns, and tear gas. While shops were ordered open, the city remains under a pall of fear, its connection to the world tenuous and controlled.
