Trump says weighing tough response to Iran crackdown, says Tehran called to negotiate |
By Parisa Hafezi, Rami Ayyub and Maayan Lubell
(Reuters) Jan 12 - President Donald Trump said the U.S. may meet Iranian officials and was in contact with the opposition, as he weighed a range of strong responses including military options to escalating unrest posing one of the biggest challenges to clerical rule since the 1979 Islamic Revolution
Trump said Iran called to negotiate its nuclear programme, which Israel and the U.S. bombed in a 12-day war in June. Trump has warned Iran's leaders that the United States would attack if security forces open fire on protesters.
U.S.-based rights group HRANA said it had verified the deaths of 490 protesters and 48 security personnel, with more than 10,600 people arrested.
Iran has not given an official toll and Reuters was unable to independently verify the tallies.
Trump was to meet with senior advisers on Tuesday to discuss options for Iran, a U.S. official told Reuters on Sunday. The Wall Street Journal had reported that options included military strikes, using secret cyber weapons, widening sanctions and providing online help to anti-government........