Trump Weighs Iran Talks, Leans Toward Military Strikes

President Donald Trump is weighing an offer from Iran to hold denuclearization talks even as he considers authorizing military strikes on the Tehran regime.

Vice President JD Vance is among the top officials urging Trump to seek diplomacy before retaliating against Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

Iranian authorities have killed hundreds of citizens following an uprising sparked by a flailing economy and repression from the theocratic regime, according to the Journal.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Trump spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday morning about a wide range of topics. The Daily Mail reported the discussion focused on options for intervention in Iran.

Trump has not yet decided what to do, the Journal reported, citing unnamed U.S. officials. He is expected to meet with senior aides Tuesday to determine his approach.

The options could include ordering military strikes on regime sites, launching cyberattacks, approving new sanctions, and boosting anti-regime accounts online.

Some officials have voiced concerns that U.S. military strikes could fuel the regime's propaganda that the U.S. and Israel are secretly orchestrating the protests.

The protests began in late December and escalated after Jan. 8, with large demonstrations in key cities. The unrest represents a potentially existential challenge to the Islamic regime, which came to power after the 1979 revolution.

Human rights groups said hundreds of people have been killed in a crackdown on demonstrators, the Journal reported. Iranian state television on Sunday released footage showing mass casualties inside and outside a morgue near Tehran.

Trump favors attacking Iran, officials told the Journal, but could change his mind depending on developments inside the country and discussions with aides.

Vance remains open to striking Iran, a person familiar with his thinking told the Journal, citing concerns that the country poses a threat to the U.S.

Vance was initially skeptical of bombing Iran in discussions this past June before Trump ordered attacks on the Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, the Journal reported.

"One thing President Trump is very good at is always keeping all of his options on the table, and airstrikes would be one of the many, many options that are on the table for the commander in chief," Leavitt told reporters outside the White House.

"Diplomacy is always the first option for the president. He told all of you last night [on Air Force One] that what you're hearing publicly from the Iranian regime is quite different from the messages the administration is receiving privately, and I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages.

"However, with that said, the president has shown he's unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran," she said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country was "ready for negotiations but these negotiations should be fair, with equal rights and based on mutual respect," the Journal reported. If such talks are not possible, he said, Iran "is fully prepared for war."

Araghchi also confirmed he contacted U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff over the weekend seeking meetings with the administration.

Some officials said Trump might strike first and then seek serious talks with Tehran, a possibility the president appeared to signal Sunday.

"We may have to act because of what is happening before the meeting," Trump said.

Trump on Friday again warned Iranian leaders not to respond violently to protesters or face consequences. Officials told the Journal that Trump must follow through on his repeated threats to attack Iran for harming protesters or risk damaging his reputation.