WASHINGTON — Members of Congress are openly encouraging President Trump to intervene in Iran as the death toll rises amid the theocratic regime’s brutal crackdown on protesters, as he weighs his options.
Without specifying what type of intervention they’d like, multiple lawmakers and prominent pundits are pining for Trump to carry through on his threat of consequences against Iran if the regime kills protesters.
“The reports coming out of Iran are horrific and absolutely unacceptable,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) told The Post. “Yet many people don’t seem to care unless it involves Israel.
“I urge the Trump Administration to take immediate action to stop the killing of innocent civilians who are demanding freedom and liberty.”
Over 544 people have been killed and more than 10,681 arrested by the Islamic Republic since mass protests rocked the country starting Dec. 28, 2025, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Independent outlet Iran International has estimated that as many as 2,000 protesters have been killed thus far.
The mass demonstrations erupted in response to a deepening economic crisis marked by rocketing inflation, soaring food prices, currency depreciation, and more. They are the largest protests to sweep Iran since at least 2022 and possibly since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
On Jan. 2, Trump warned the regime, “If Iran [shoots] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue.”
“We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”
Trump is expected to get briefed on Tuesday about a range of options for how he can respond to the situation unfolding in Iran, Politico reported.
“President Trump … has made clear that America stands with the Iranian people and I trust him and Secretary Rubio to take the proper actions to support freedom,” Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) told The Post.
“After last year’s decisive strike and our recent actions in Venezuela, the Ayatollah, should have learned: Donald J. Trump doesn’t play games. Together, we will Make Persia Great Again.”
Trump had been under fire from the doves in Congress over his decision to green-light Operation Absolute Resolve, which saw the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro.
Last week, the Senate advanced, but didn’t adopt, a war powers resolution to restrain him from taking further military action in Venezuela, prompting fury from the president.
While the president has skeptics such as Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) urging him to show restraint against Iran, support for action seems louder than it was with Venezuela.
“If it continues to make more sense, absolutely,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) told CNN Monday when asked about Trump intervening in Iran. “Iran is one of the world’s top terrorist underwriters. You now have that poisonous regime in a spiral, so why wouldn’t we want to support that and those brave protesters?”
“Why wouldn’t we want to have those kinds of targeted actions that could break that regime?”
Perhaps the loudest proponent of intervention in Iran has been Trump’s ally, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who has stressed that the US has a massive opportunity to reshape the Middle East and support the Iranian people who have been repressed for decades.
“It is not enough to say we stand with the people of Iran,” Graham declared on X. “The only right answer here is that we act decisively to protect protestors in the street—and that we’re not Obama—proving to them we will not tolerate their slaughter without action.”
“President Trump has been the first president to openly side with the people against the regime. That will be seen in history as the ultimate game changer,” Graham continued. “This is the best chance since 1979 to change the course of the Middle East.”
“It is about acting decisively on their behalf.”
For the time being, Trump has been coy about which way he’s leaning on Iran, telling reporters Sunday that the leaders of Tehran “want to negotiate,” but “we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting.”
Top leaders in Iran, such as parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, vowed to teach Trump an “unforgettable lesson” if he strikes Iran.
