Trump says Iran starting to cross US red lines amid deadly protests

President Donald Trump said Sunday that Iran was “beginning to cross” U.S. red lines, citing reports of civilian deaths and warning that any attack on American interests would be met with overwhelming force as his administration weighs what he called “very strong options.”

Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One as it returned to Washington, D.C., from Palm Beach, Florida, when asked whether Iran had crossed a threshold that would trigger a response.

“It looks like some people who shouldn’t have been killed were killed,” the president said. “They are violent; if you call them leaders, I don’t know if they are leaders or if they just rule through violence. And we’re looking at some very strong options. We’ll come to a decision.”

Trump later stated that some protesters were killed and others were shot in the stampede, and that he received an hourly briefing and would make a decision based on ongoing reports.

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The comments came just days after Trump warned that the United States would respond strongly if the Iranian regime increased pressure.

“Iran is in big trouble,” he said. “It seems to me that people are taking over some cities that no one really thought was possible until a few weeks ago. We’re monitoring the situation very carefully.”

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In this frame from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked protester holds a photo of Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, on Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

Trump added, “We’re going to hit them hard where it hurts. That doesn’t mean dropping the boots, but it means hitting them very, very hard where it hurts.”

Protests had spread to at least 190 cities across Iran by Saturday, according to the National Council of Resistance of Iran.

ARMED IRANI PROTESTERS FIGHT POLICE ON THE STREETS OF TEHRAN AS TRUMP WARNED ABOUT A TOUGH US STRUGGLE

Protesters march in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, December 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP)

The Associated Press reported Sunday that activists claimed at least 544 people had been killed, with many more believed dead. Tehran also warned that the US military and Israel would be considered “legitimate targets” if the US intervened to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people were detained during more than two weeks of protests, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. This information was accurate during previous unrest, the AP said. The group said that 496 of those killed were protesters and 48 were members of the security forces.

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Authorities also imposed a sweeping internet blackout this week, largely cutting Iran off from the outside world as anti-regime protests spread and authorities step up threats of harsh punishment.

Fox News’ Efrat Lachter and Brie Stimson as well as the Associated Press contributed to this report.