US President Donald Trump is weighing a spectrum of military and non-military options as Iran’s security forces intensify a brutal crackdown on nationwide protests that rights groups say has left at least 490 people dead and more than 10,600 detained. The internal debate in Washington reflects both the scale of the bloodshed and the risks of turning a domestic uprising into a regional confrontation.

According to two US officials familiar with the discussions, Trump has been briefed on several intervention scenarios, many of them focused on Iran’s security apparatus. These plans center on striking units and command nodes directly involved in suppressing demonstrations, including elements of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and intelligence services that have led the crackdown.

Senior advisers have presented the president with options ranging from limited, highly targeted strikes to broader attacks on regime-linked facilities. The goal, proponents argue, would be to raise the cost of violent repression for Tehran without drawing the United States into a prolonged conflict or requiring ground forces.

Yet the prospect of military action has sharply divided officials. Within the administration, there is deep concern that even a carefully calibrated strike could backfire. Some national security aides warn that overt US military involvement might fracture the protest movement, allowing Iranian leaders to portray demonstrators as foreign-backed agents and rally wavering citizens around the flag.

Others caution that Iran could respond asymmetrically, using its network of regional proxies or missile forces to target US troops, bases, and commercial interests across the Middle East. Tehran has already signaled that it would treat American military and commercial facilities as legitimate targets if attacked, and officials fear a rapid escalation that could draw in Israel and Gulf states.

In light of those risks, Trump is also reviewing a suite of alternatives short of direct strikes. Cyber operations are at the forefront of these discussions. US cyber teams have mapped out potential attacks on Iranian military and regime-linked systems, including communications networks and surveillance infrastructure used to track and detain protesters. Disrupting those systems, advocates say, could blunt the regime’s ability to coordinate its crackdown while avoiding the political shock of kinetic strikes.

Economic pressure is another pillar of the emerging strategy. The administration is considering new sanctions targeting senior security officials, judicial figures overseeing mass trials, and key sectors of Iran’s already strained economy, particularly energy and banking. While Iran is heavily sanctioned already, US officials believe additional measures could further isolate the leadership and signal that the cost of repression will continue to rise.

At the same time, Washington is exploring ways to support the protesters’ ability to communicate and organize. One proposal under active review involves expanding access to satellite-based internet services, such as those provided by Starlink, to help Iranians circumvent government-imposed blackouts and throttling. During previous waves of unrest, US officials quietly encouraged technology firms to provide tools that allowed activists to bypass censorship and maintain contact with the outside world.

Multiple agencies, including the Pentagon, State Department, intelligence community, and the National Security Council, have been involved in drafting and refining these options. Officials describe an intense, fast-moving process, with interagency teams updating plans as new information emerges from inside Iran. More formal briefings are expected as Trump prepares to meet with his top national security advisers to decide how far the United States is willing to go.

For now, the president has not authorized any strikes, and a senior White House official emphasized that none of the options under serious consideration involve deploying US ground troops to Iran. The focus, this official said, is on measures that can “impose real costs on the regime while preserving the agency and legitimacy of the protesters themselves.”

On the ground in Iran, the situation remains fluid and grim. Human rights organizations and activist networks report widespread arrests, including of minors, journalists, and civil society figures. According to data shared with CNN by Human Rights Activists in Iran, more than 10,600 people have been detained in just over two weeks of unrest, and at least 490 protesters have been killed. The figures, compiled from hospital records, eyewitness accounts, and local reporting, cannot be independently verified but align with other reports of mass casualties.

Videos and testimonies emerging from Iranian cities depict security forces firing live ammunition into crowds, beating detainees, and raiding homes in search of organizers. Families of the dead and missing describe being pressured not to speak publicly, while authorities reportedly restrict funerals and memorials to prevent them from becoming new flashpoints for dissent.

Trump has repeatedly used social media and public remarks to voice support for the demonstrators, casting the protests as a historic challenge to Iran’s clerical establishment. He has described the country as “looking at freedom, perhaps like never before” and has pledged that the United States is “ready to help” those demanding change.