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The United States warned Iran that “all options are on the table” during an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, as Washington accused Tehran of continuing to use lethal force against protesters amid nationwide unrest.
Addressing the council, U.S. Permanent Representative Mike Waltz said President Donald Trump remains open to military intervention if Iranian authorities persist in killing protesters.
“Let me be clear: President Trump is not a man of endless talk like what we see at the United Nations,” Waltz said. “He is a man of action.”
Waltz said Trump has made it clear that all options are on the table to stop what he described as a massacre, adding that Iran’s leadership should be fully aware of this position.
His remarks came at a time when the possibility of U.S. retaliation remains on the agenda due to deaths reported during the protests.
Trump, however, also said the killings appeared to be slowing, suggesting a possible de-escalation.
Iran’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Huseyin Darzi, accused Washington of playing a direct role in steering unrest in Iran toward violence.
Darzi said the U.S. was using what he described as hollow claims of concern for human rights to portray itself as a friend of the Iranian people while laying the groundwork for political instability and military intervention.
By Thursday, protests challenging Iran’s leadership appeared to be increasingly suppressed, while state-imposed communication disruptions remained in effect.
Videos from inside Iran stopped circulating, and witnesses in Tehran said they had not seen fresh signs of overnight fires or street debris in recent mornings.
Reports also indicated that the intense gunfire heard on previous nights had decreased.
According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 2,677 people have been killed in the crackdown on protests, a figure surpassing all major protest waves since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Sources speaking to Euronews from inside Iran expressed concern that the actual death toll could be significantly higher, with fears that fatalities over the past 21 days may have reached as many as 15,000.
Washington also announced a new round of sanctions on Thursday targeting Iranian officials accused of suppressing protests.
Those listed include Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary, whom the U.S. Treasury accused of being among the first officials to call for violence against demonstrators.
The protests, which began in late December, initially erupted over the sharp depreciation of the rial and worsening economic conditions.
The G7 countries and the European Union said they are considering additional sanctions to increase pressure on Tehran.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the 27-member bloc aims to strengthen sanctions “to bring about the end of this regime and ensure change takes place.”
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