President Trump is exploring options for diplomacy with Iran even as he weighs whether to attack the country to try to deter its leaders from killing more protesters, U.S. officials said on Monday.
The Pentagon is presenting a wider range of strike options to Mr. Trump than previously reported. Possible targets include Iran’s nuclear program, going beyond the U.S. airstrikes that battered it in June, and ballistic missile sites, a U.S. official said.
But the narrower options, a cyberattack or a strike against Iran’s domestic security apparatus, which is using lethal force against protesters, are more likely, the official said. Any attack is at least several days away, and could prompt a vigorous retaliation from Iran, the official said. Mr. Trump is scheduled to be briefed on options on Tuesday.
The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said that airstrikes were “one of the many, many options that are on the table,” but that “diplomacy is always the first optionon