US imposes 25 percent tariffs on countries trading with Iran
The US president's announcement comes amid reports of a brutal Iranian crackdown on protesters calling for an end to the clerical regime.Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has taken a hard line against protesters, saying last week that demonstrators were "ruining their own streets to make the president of another country happy," referring to Trump.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson earlier Monday said that a channel of communication "remains open" between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Trump mulls response to Iran protest crackdown
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that Trump was considering a wide range of options, including air strikes, but that his first choice was diplomacy.
Protests have widened in Iran, with demonstraters calling for an end to the ruling clergy of the Islamic Republic that was established nearly five decades ago.
Those protests have turned deadly as reports emerge about a violent crackdown by security forces, with Iran Human Rights, an NGO based in Norway, having said it recorded at least 648 deaths so far since anti-government protests began.
Verifying reports and videos emerging out of the country has grown increasingly difficult from abroad since the country has also had no internet for 100 hours now, according to watchdog NetBlocks.
Trump mulls response to Iran protest crackdown
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that Trump was considering a wide range of options, including air strikes, but that his first choice was diplomacy.
Protests have widened in Iran, with demonstraters calling for an end to the ruling clergy of the Islamic Republic that was established nearly five decades ago.
Those protests have turned deadly as reports emerge about a violent crackdown by security forces, with Iran Human Rights, an NGO based in Norway, having said it recorded at least 648 deaths so far since anti-government protests began.
Verifying reports and videos emerging out of the country has grown increasingly difficult from abroad since the country has also had no internet for 100 hours now, according to watchdog NetBlocks.
