President Donald Trump is preparing to receive a briefing from his senior advisors this week to determine the extent of the United States’ response to the harsh suppression of protests by the Iranian government.

According to the Wall Street Journal, key figures in Trump’s military and diplomatic team, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, are expected to attend the meeting.

The discussions are taking place as Trump considers increasing U.S. involvement in the region. However, any final decisions are unlikely to be made until after the meeting scheduled for Tuesday. CNN reports that deploying U.S. troops is not currently an option under consideration.

In Iran, protests have intensified since the start of the year. The regime, led by Ayatollah Khamenei, has attempted to stifle communication with the West by shutting down internet access and phone lines.

Despite these efforts, protesters have managed to bypass these restrictions using Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite technology to transmit information out of the country.

Since the onset of the protests, Trump has ramped up his public remarks, cautioning Iranian officials against using violence and consistently voicing his support for what he describes as a movement for freedom.

‘Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,’ the president noted in a post to his Truth Social account, adding that ‘the USA stands ready to help!!!’

The State Department has echoed a hardline tone, pointing to previous US actions against adversarial governments as evidence that Trump follows through on his warnings. 

‘Do not play games with President Trump. When he says he’ll do something, he means it,’ a recent social media post from the State Department read.

President Donald Trump talks about the White House ballroom construction as he arrives to speak during a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Washington

Flames rise from burning debris in the middle of a street in Gorgan, Golestan Province, Iran, on January 10, 2026, as protesters set fire to makeshift barricades near a religious center during ongoing anti-regime demonstrations

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khameni waves during a gathering of the people of Qom in Tehran on January 9, 2026

Back in June, Trump directed the US military to deploy a dozen 30,000-pound ‘bunker buster’ bombs that ‘obliterated’ Iran’s three largest nuclear facilities.

‘The strikes were a spectacular military success,’ Trump said in a late-night address to the nation from the White House the day after operation.

The US military joined forces with Israel to launch military strikes against Iran at the time using B-2 ‘bunker bomber’ planes.

Trump later indicated that his decision to authorize the strikes was influenced by the possibility of renewed diplomatic engagement with Tehran. 

The appetite for the US to engage militarily with Iran may not be high, even among capitol hill republicans as Senators are looking to reign in Trump’s ability to act without their approval. 

The Senate cast their latest vote on a war powers resolution, which was pushed by a bipartisan duo, Virginia Democrat Senator Tim Kaine and Republican Senator Paul of Kentucky, passed on Thursday after the capture of Nicolas Maduro by US Special forces last Saturday.

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks to members of the media after the Senate voted on the Venezuela War Powers Resolution at the U.S. Capitol on January 08, 2026 in Washington, DC. The Senate passed the bipartisan resolution 52-47 which will block President Trump’s use of the U.S. military force Venezuela without Congressional authorization

Protesters set on fire a portrait of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as they take part in a rally in support of the current protest movement in Iran, outside Downing Street in London, Britain, 11 January 2026. Since 28 December 2025, nationwide anti-government protests have taken place across Iran despite a heavy crackdown

Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Todd Young of Indiana, and, most surprisingly, Josh Hawley of Missouri all sided with Democrats on a the move to restrain Trump’s authority which passed 52 to 47.

Thursday’s passage alone won’t prevent Trump from taking further military action without Congressional consent – it only promises to put a vote to limit the President’s power on the calendar at a later date. The measure still faces another vote for final passage in the Senate.

Yet, their action alone was enough anger Trump, who came after the five defiant Senators, calling for them ‘never be elected to office again,’ in a Thursday social media post.