The internal crisis in Iran has taken a leap in scale. The president of the United States, Donald Trump is weighing in on support for Iranian protesterss, at a time of massive protests against the regime and strong police repression. The possibility of intervention – political, economic, cyber or even military – has revived fear of a regional escalation with unforeseeable consequences.
According to White House sources, Trump has asked his national security team to study different options given what he considers a historic opportunity to weaken the Iranian regime. The final decision has not yet been made, but the simple fact of putting it on the table has already tense the international board.
Protests, economic crisis and repression
Iran has been experiencing a wave of sustained protests since the end of 2025fueled by economic collapse, runaway inflation and currency depreciation. What began as demonstrations over the cost of living have led to open slogans against the political system, something unusual even by Iranian protest standards.
The regime’s response has been harsh. Human rights organizations speak of hundreds of deaths (500 according to the latest estimates by NGOs) and thousands of detainees, in addition to internet blackouts and restrictions on information. That context is what Trump uses to justify that the United States “cannot look the other way.”
What options is Washington considering?
The president will participate Tuesday at a briefing with his national security team in which his advisors will propose possible responses, according to the newspaper The Wall Street Journal.
Several scenarios are being handled in the president’s environment. The softest goes through new selective economic sanctions and a diplomatic offensive to further isolate Tehran. Cyber actions are also being studied, such as facilitating access to the internet or weakening the regime’s digital infrastructure so that protesters can organize.
The most delicate scenario is the military one. There is no talk of an invasion, but there is talk of limited or demonstrative attacks against strategic objectives, an option that is worrying even within the Administration itself due to the risk of retaliation.
In any case, Trump wrote on the Truth social network: “Iran sets its sights on FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The United States stands ready to help!”!”.
Iran’s warning
From Iran, the reaction has been immediate. Senior officials have warned that any US intervention will have a responsedirectly or indirectly, against the interests of the United States and its allies in the region. The threat is not rhetorical: Iran has the capacity to act through allied militias in the Middle East.
The regime insists that the protests are the result of a “foreign interference”an argument that could be strengthened if Washington takes a step beyond rhetorical support.
A dangerous balance
Within the United States there is no consensus. Some advisors They believe that supporting the protesters now can accelerate . Others warn that explicit intervention could delegitimize the protests and unite part of the population around the regime against an external enemy.
Furthermore, Trump’s movement comes in a particularly sensitive global context, with several open hot spots and an international community that fears a new large-scale conflict in the Middle East.
What’s at stake
Beyond Iran, what is decided will have regional and global impact. An intervention could destabilize energy markets, further strain relations between powers and test the response capacity of international organizations such as the UN.
For now, Trump maintains ambiguity. He talks about supporting the protesters, but without specifying how or when. This lack of definition keeps allies and adversaries in suspense, while the protest continues in the Iranian streets and the outcome remains open.
