U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday he is weighing a range of options, including military action, as Iran faces its most intense anti-government protests in years, with hundreds reportedly killed and thousands arrested.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said Tehran had reached out the previous day to discuss nuclear talks. “Iran called to negotiate yesterday. We may meet them,” he said. He also claimed to be in contact with Iranian opposition leaders, though he offered no specifics.
One of Trump’s immediate priorities, he said, is restoring internet access in Iran, which has been largely blacked out since Thursday. “I plan to speak with Elon Musk about this,” Trump said, referencing the billionaire founder of SpaceX, whose Starlink satellite internet service has previously been deployed in conflict zones to bypass government restrictions. “He’s very good at that kind of thing. He’s got a very good company.”
Neither Musk nor SpaceX responded to requests for comment. The pair have had a tumultuous relationship, having clashed publicly over policy differences but recently appeared to reconcile. They were reportedly seen dining together this month at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to visit a SpaceX facility in Texas on Monday.
Musk has previously supported using Starlink to help Iranians circumvent internet restrictions, notably during the 2022 protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody. At that time, the Biden administration coordinated with SpaceX to activate Starlink service for Iran.
Starlink has been used in other conflict zones as well, including Ukraine, where Musk temporarily suspended service during a major military offensive in 2022, according to Reuters.
The latest protests in Iran began on December 28 as demonstrations against inflation and quickly escalated into anti-regime unrest—posing one of the most serious threats to the clerical establishment since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Human rights groups estimate that hundreds have been killed in the crackdown. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported it has confirmed the deaths of 490 protesters and 48 security personnel, with over 10,600 arrests in the past two weeks. Iranian authorities have not released official figures, and Reuters could not independently verify the numbers.