The Trump administration delivered a stark warning to Iran on Thursday, with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz telling the U.N. Security Council that military intervention remains a real possibility as the Iranian regime continues its violent crackdown on protesters.
Speaking before the council, Waltz drew a sharp contrast between President Donald Trump’s approach and what he described as years of empty rhetoric at the United Nations. “Colleagues, let me be clear: President Trump is a man of action, not endless talk like we see at the United Nations,” Waltz said, according to Associated Press. He added that Trump has made it unmistakably clear that “all options are on the table” to stop the ongoing bloodshed, a message Waltz said should be fully understood by Iran’s leadership.
The warning comes after the United States carried out airstrikes against Iran in June, strikes that significantly damaged nuclear facilities inside the country. Trump has since cautioned that additional military action remains possible, particularly as a means of supporting widespread anti-government demonstrations that have erupted across Iran.
Those protests, described as the most intense in years, have been driven by deep frustration over economic hardship and political repression. According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, more than 2,500 people have been killed as the regime moves to crush dissent. The Trump administration has openly voiced support for Iranian citizens, encouraging them to continue protesting despite the risks.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reinforced that message Thursday, warning that if the killings continue, Iran will face “grave consequences.” Echoing Waltz, she stressed that “all options remain on the table.” Trump said Wednesday that he had been informed executions of demonstrators would stop, though doubts quickly emerged.
Sen. Lindsey Graham publicly challenged that claim later that night, writing on X that he believed the regime was still killing protesters. Graham said every indication he had seen suggested the crackdown was ongoing and that the death toll was continuing to climb, expressing hope that help for the Iranian people would arrive soon.
Complicating the situation, Iranian authorities have imposed a nationwide internet and cellular blackout, cutting off communication and making it difficult to verify conditions on the ground. Tehran has accused the Trump administration of stoking unrest, claiming Washington is using human rights as a pretext for destabilization.
Hossein Darzi, Iran’s deputy ambassador to the U.N., told the Security Council that the United States was attempting to portray itself as a friend of the Iranian people while laying the groundwork for political and military intervention under a so-called humanitarian narrative. Those claims were forcefully rejected by Iranian dissidents who addressed the council.
Masih Alinejad detailed an alleged murder-for-hire plot she said was orchestrated by the Iranian regime against her for speaking out. Ahmad Batebi described brutal abuse while in captivity, recounting how prison guards poured salt into his wounds. “If you do not believe me, I can show you my body right now,” Batebi told the council, according to the AP.
As the crisis escalates, the Trump administration announced new sanctions Thursday targeting Iranian officials responsible for what it called a “brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrators.” European leaders signaled they may follow suit, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying the EU is considering tougher sanctions to halt the violence.
Russia, meanwhile, has defended Tehran and warned the United States against threatening Iran, setting the stage for heightened geopolitical tensions as the Trump administration continues to press its hardline stance in support of the Iranian people.
