Washington DC [US], January 16 : White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday (local time) said that the US President Donald Trump and his team were "closely monitoring the situation in Iran.
Addressing a press briefing, White House Press Secretary said, "all options remain on the table for the President"
"The President and his team have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences. The President understands today that 800 executions that were scheduled and supposed to take place yesterday were halted. The President and his team are closely monitoring this situation, and all options remain on the table for the President," the White House Press Secretary said.
Meanwhile, US Senator Lindsey Graham alleged that "ayatollah's regime has American blood on its hands" and are "slaughtering people in the streets".
Referring to a media report, the US Senator said, "All the headlines suggesting that our so-called Arab allies have intervened on behalf of Iran to avoid decisive military action by President Trump are beyond disturbing. The ayatollah's regime has American blood on its hands. They are slaughtering people in the streets."
Graham further said, "If it is accurate that the Arab response is "action is not necessary against Iran" given this current outrageous slaughter of innocent people, then there will be a dramatic rethinking on my part regarding the nature of the alliances now and in the future," he added in his post.
This development comes amid ongoing protests in Iran over rising living costs, with authorities imposing internet restrictions. Trump had previously threatened to intervene but said on Wednesday that killings of protesters had stopped, and he'd "watch and see" about military action.
Times of Israel reported that the clashes between protesters and security forces have resulted in an estimated death toll ranging from under 3,000 to over 12,000.