By Alayna Treene and Kevin Liptak, CNN
Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP
President Donald Trump, facing a red line of his own making in Iran, increasingly believes he must take decisive action against the regime amid a violent and deadly crackdown on protesters, according to officials familiar with the matter.
Top Trump administration officials met on Tuesday to further refine a set of options for the president. Trump, who joined the two-hour-plus meeting after landing back in Washington from a trip to Michigan, was also briefed on the latest death toll figures in Iran and US expectations for how the regime's brutal crackdown might proceed, including the prospect of executions. He was shown video from the ground in Iran as part of the briefing, a person familiar with the meeting said.
Photo: Getty Images
In recent days, the president's national security team has been split on whether to move forward with a kinetic strike, a source familiar with the discussions said. US officials insisted any such military move would not include boots on the ground and said the administration does not want protracted military involvement in Iran.
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