According to two defense officials who spoke anonymously to CBS News, President Donald J. Trump was briefed Monday night and Tuesday on a broad range of military and covert options for use against Iran that extend well beyond traditional airstrikes, including cyber operations and psychological campaigns aimed at disrupting Iranian command structures, communications, and state-run media.

According to a senior U.S. official cited by Axios, White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff secretly met over the weekend with exiled former Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi to discuss the ongoing anti-government protests sweeping Iran.

Satellite imagery from Monday, January 12, showed no B-52s, B-2s, or other military aircraft on the tarmac at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, aside from a single KC-135 Stratotanker.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Iran’s Arab rivals across the Persian Gulf, led by Saudi Arabia, are urging the Trump administration to refrain from striking Tehran, despite U.S. warnings for them to prepare for the possibility of an attack.

Trump said he had received reports of protesters being killed in Iran but noted that the exact number remains unknown. “I’ve heard numbers—from everything. Even one is a lot,” he said. “We’ll probably find out more in the next 24 hours. I think it’s a lot. It’s too many.”

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to address Iran during a speech in Detroit, Michigan, scheduled for 2 p.m. ET. Earlier this morning, Trump posted on social media that “help is on its way” to protesters in Iran. When asked Tuesday what he meant by the message, Trump declined to elaborate. “You’re going to have to figure that one out. I’m sorry,” he told reporters while traveling to Detroit for an economic speech.

ICE agent: “I love my job. I can’t believe I get paid for this. I’d do it for free.” Protester: “I make $200,000. I’m a physician assistant.” ICE agent: “How long did you go to school?” Protester: “Seven years.” ICE agent: “I only finished high school, and I make $200,000.”

According to TankerTrackers, Iran has reportedly released the Marshall Islands–flagged, Greek-owned oil tanker St. Nikolas, which was seized in January 2024 by the Iranian Navy and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) under a “court order” while transiting the Gulf of Oman with a cargo of oil from Iraq bound for Turkey.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has turned down an offer from President Trump to deploy U.S. military forces against Mexico’s drug cartels, stressing Mexico’s sovereignty and saying such intervention would not be permitted, even as pressure from Washington intensifies, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Footage said to be from tonight and obtained by The Independent Persian shows massive fires burning and thousands of protesters filling the streets of the central Iranian city of Isfahan.