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President Donald Trump said Sunday that Iran is "starting 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 while traveling from Palm Beach, Florida, back to Washington, D.C., after being asked whether Iran had crossed a threshold that would trigger a response.
"They're starting to, it looks like, and there seem to be some people killed that aren't supposed to be killed," the president said. "These are violent — if you call them leaders, I don't know if their leaders or just if they rule through violence. And, we're looking at some very strong options. We’ll make a determination."
Some protesters were killed in a stampedes while others were shot, Trump later said, adding that he receives hourly briefings and will decide based on ongoing reports.
The comments came just days after Trump warned the U.S. would respond forcefully if the Iranian regime escalates its crackdown.
"Iran’s in big trouble," he said. "It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago. We’re watching the situation very carefully."
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Trump added, "We’ll be hitting them very hard where it hurts. And that doesn’t mean boots on the ground, 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 in Iran.
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The Associated Press reported Sunday that activists claimed at least 544 people have been killed, with more feared dead. Tehran also warned that the U.S. military and Israel would be considered "legitimate targets" if the U.S. intervenes to protect demonstrators.
More than 10,600 people have been detained during the more than two weeks of protests, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which the AP noted has been accurate during previous unrest. The group said 496 of those killed were protesters and 48 were members of security forces.
Authorities also imposed a sweeping internet blackout this week, largely cutting Iran off from the outside world as anti-regime protests spread and officials escalated threats of harsh punishment.
Fox News' Efrat Lachter and Brie Stimson, as well as The Associated Press, contributed to this report.
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