'Inappropriate to say': Trump may still be considering CIA-led uprising in Iran

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump stated it would be inappropriate to discuss whether he would authorize the CIA to arm Iranians in order to incite a violent uprising, according to a report following his unscheduled questions in the Oval Office. The president made this remark a day after the US launched a series of strikes on Iran's southern coast, resulting in the deaths of 18 individuals, including two children at a wedding.

A reporter inquired of Trump, "Will you send the CIA in to arm Iranians?" to which he replied, "I'd love to tell you that, but it wouldn't be appropriate to say." However, Trump expressed his understanding of Iran's situation, noting that "they're being shot... They have close to 65,000 protesters killed." The exact source of this figure is disputed, as Trump's previous statements on the matter ranged from 25,000 to 80,000 deaths, with Iran itself reporting around 3,800 casualties during the anti-government protests earlier this year.