A discussion on Iran is set to take place with senior American officials, and will be chaired by the US Vice President JD Vance and the National Security Council, according to reports by a source familiar with the details, who informed The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump said that the United States would take "very strong action" if the Iranian government starts hanging protesters, but did not elaborate on what those actions would be.
"I haven't heard about the hanging. If they hang them, you're going to see some things... We will take very strong action if they do such a thing," Trump told CBS News in an interview.
On Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported that some senior aides in President Trump's administration, led by Vice President Vance, were urging Trump to consider diplomatic options before resorting to military strikes against Iran.
The report by the Journal indicated that the White House was evaluating an offer from Tehran to engage in discussions about its nuclear program, as Trump appeared to be contemplating authorization for military action against Iran. However, a spokesman for Vice President Vance stated that the report was not accurate.
New sanctions against the regime?
"Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio together are presenting a suite of options to the President, ranging from a diplomatic approach to military actions," said William Martin, Vance's communications director. "They are presenting those options without bias or favor."
The report by the Journal also noted that Trump is weighing whether the US response to the protests should be done with new sanctions against the regime, political support for an Iranian opposition, a new round of negotiations with the regime, or a military operation against the Islamic Republic's assets.
On Wednesday, the US virtual embassy in Tehran issued a notice encouraging all US citizens to leave the country as the United States continues to weigh up its response.
"US citizens should leave Iran now. Consider departing Iran by land to Türkiye or Armenia, if safe to do so," the notice said.
Reuters and Tobias Holcman contributed to this report.