Donald Trump, the President of the United States, announced early Monday morning, January 22, according to Iranian time, in an interview with reporters that the Islamic Republic has begun to cross a red line he has set and that the U.S. military is examining options for dealing with this country.

He said: "People have been killed who should not have been killed. The leaders of Iran, if they can be called leaders, are brutal people and only govern through violence. We are taking this matter very seriously and we have powerful options before us."

Trump emphasized that he receives reports related to the crackdowns in Iran hourly, but did not respond to a reporter's question about the details of the options being considered.

The U.S. President has repeatedly stated that as protests intensify and the Iranian people's revolution expands, if the Islamic Republic resorts to killing protesters and opens fire on them, he will take military action against this country.