US defense officials have briefed President Donald Trump on several potential military and intelligence measures against Iran, according to CBS News citing Pentagon sources. Options reportedly include long-range missile strikes, cyber operations, and psychological campaigns. The discussions come as Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on goods from countries trading with Iran, while human rights groups report over 600 deaths in recent anti-government protests.

Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran remains open to talks with Washington but is also prepared for war. The White House confirmed that an Iranian official contacted Trump’s envoy, though it noted a difference between Iran’s public and private messages. Trump has warned that further protester deaths could prompt a “very strong option,” and US citizens in Iran have been urged to prepare evacuation plans.

Economic turmoil and currency collapse have intensified domestic anger toward Iran’s leadership. Analysts suggest new US tariffs could worsen shortages and inflation, adding pressure on Tehran as it faces both internal dissent and external threats.

Minnesota state authorities have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over what they describe as harsh immigration enforcement measures. The case was filed on Monday following the death of a female protester who was shot by a federal agent in Minneapolis last week, according to AFP.

State Attorney General Keith Ellison alleged that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had unusually increased the presence of immigration officers in the Democrat-led state, creating safety risks for residents. At a press conference, Ellison said thousands of poorly trained, armed, and aggressive federal agents had been deployed in local communities, making the state less secure.

Ellison further claimed that Minnesota was being targeted because of its political differences, diversity, and democratic stance, calling the move a clear violation of the U.S. Constitution and federal law. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also accused Republican President Donald Trump of deliberately targeting the state as part of his immigration crackdown program.

The White House said the United States is keeping the option of airstrikes against Iran if the country's violent suppression of anti-government protests continues. Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt told reporters on Monday that Washington is deeply concerned about the rising casualties on Iranian streets. She emphasized that while military options remain on the table, diplomatic channels are still open, reflecting President Donald Trump’s stated preference for diplomatic solutions first.

Leavitt noted that President Trump’s leadership style involves keeping all options open, including airstrikes. She also revealed that Iran’s leadership is sending mixed messages, speaking differently in private communications than in public statements. The Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed that, despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations, a secret communication channel exists between Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Human rights organizations reported that the death toll in Iran continues to rise, while internet shutdowns have limited information flow from inside the country. Leavitt acknowledged that Trump does not want to see people killed in Tehran’s streets but said that, unfortunately, such violence is ongoing.

U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on Thursday, according to a U.S. administration official cited by AFP. The meeting comes as pressure mounts on Venezuela’s interim government to accelerate the release of political prisoners. Under President Nicolás Maduro’s rule, the Venezuelan government has freed 116 detainees, though human rights groups report that only about 50 of an estimated 800 to 1,200 prisoners have actually been released.

The U.S. administration has expressed support for Machado, and Trump’s meeting is seen as a signal of Washington’s continued involvement in Venezuela’s political crisis. Trump has also warned interim President Delcy Rodríguez that failure to comply with U.S. directives ensuring access to Venezuelan oil could bring consequences.

Observers view the upcoming meeting as significant for the future of Washington–Caracas relations and the broader Venezuelan political situation.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on goods from countries maintaining trade relations with Iran. The declaration was made on January 12 through a post on Truth Social, where Trump said the decision would take immediate effect. Analysts view the move as part of Washington’s strategy to increase pressure on Tehran as anti-government protests in Iran entered their third week.

Trump did not clarify what constitutes 'doing business with Iran,' though China, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and India are identified as major trading partners of the country. The White House has yet to specify which nations or products will be most affected. The announcement follows Trump’s earlier warning of possible military intervention if violence against Iranian protesters continues. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that airstrike options remain under consideration.

The protests, driven by Iran’s deepening economic crisis, have resulted in hundreds of deaths, according to human rights monitors. Internet restrictions have made it difficult to verify information from inside Iran, while Trump claimed Iranian officials have reached out for talks but warned that the U.S. may act before any meeting occurs.

U.S. President Donald Trump has directed special forces commanders to prepare a plan for a possible attack on Greenland, according to a report by the UK-based Daily Mail published on Sunday. The report states that Trump issued the order to the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) as part of an effort to secure the island before China or Russia could take control of it.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff have reportedly opposed the move, arguing that such an action would be illegal and unlikely to gain congressional approval. Meanwhile, leaders of Greenland’s political parties said on Friday that they do not wish to become part of either the United States or Denmark, emphasizing their desire to remain Greenlandic.

At a White House event on Friday, Trump said the United States would act in Greenland regardless of local approval, asserting that inaction could allow Russia or China to seize the island. He added that the U.S. would not accept either country as a neighbor.

The Trump administration has become divided over how to respond to ongoing protests in Iran, with discussions reportedly covering options such as sanctions, cyber measures, and potential military action. According to reports from TRT World and The Wall Street Journal, President Donald Trump is expected to be briefed on Tuesday by senior officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Kane.

A senior U.S. military official told The New York Times that any potential strike would require more time for troop deployment and defensive preparations against possible Iranian retaliation. Officials have warned that military action could produce unintended consequences, including uniting the Iranian public behind their government or triggering regional escalation. Lawmakers from both major U.S. parties have also questioned whether military action is the best course, with some senators expressing caution in recent interviews.

The protests in Iran began in late December over the sharp devaluation of the rial and worsening economic conditions. Trump has publicly warned Tehran against suppressing demonstrators, while Iranian officials have dismissed his comments as reckless interference.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday warned Cuba to come under a deal immediately or face unspecified consequences. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he announced the suspension of all oil and financial flows from Venezuela to Havana, declaring that Cuba would receive “zero” oil or money. Trump strongly advised the Cuban authorities to reach an agreement without delay.

The warning came a week after a U.S. military operation in Caracas aimed at capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and bringing him to New York. Reports said several members of Venezuelan and Cuban security forces were killed in that operation. Trump also reposted a message suggesting that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio could one day become president of communist-run Cuba, commenting that the idea “sounded good” to him.

Trump further claimed that Cuba had long received large amounts of oil and money from Venezuela in exchange for providing security assistance to its leadership, but stated that this arrangement would now end. He added that most Cuban members guarding Maduro were killed in the recent operation, asserting that Venezuela no longer needed such support.

Tens of thousands of people marched through Minneapolis on Saturday to protest the killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. The demonstration was part of more than 1,000 rallies planned across the United States opposing President Donald Trump’s militarised anti-immigration campaign. Protesters chanted slogans such as “Abolish ICE” and “No justice, no peace,” while Minnesota leaders urged participants to remain peaceful. The protests followed video evidence that appeared to contradict official claims that Good had threatened the officer who shot her.

The social movement group Indivisible said hundreds of demonstrations were held in states including Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, and Florida. The rallies, many under the banner “ICE Out for Good,” aimed to mourn lives lost to ICE actions and demand accountability. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey reported 29 arrests overnight and reiterated that while most protests were peaceful, property damage would not be tolerated. Three Minnesota congresswomen—Ilhan Omar, Kelly Morrison, and Angie Craig—were denied access to an ICE facility in Minneapolis, accusing agents of obstructing congressional oversight.

The incident has intensified scrutiny of Trump’s immigration enforcement operations in the Twin Cities, with local officials calling for ICE’s removal from Minneapolis.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signaled a willingness to use force regarding Greenland, disregarding Denmark’s sovereignty over the autonomous Arctic island. Speaking at the White House during a meeting with oil industry executives, Trump said he preferred to reach an agreement on Greenland “the easy way,” but warned that if that failed, the United States would proceed “the hard way.” He described control of the resource-rich island as vital to U.S. national security, citing increased Russian and Chinese military activity in the Arctic.

Trump stated that the United States would not allow Russia or China to take over Greenland, asserting that if Washington did not act, those powers would. His remarks drew surprise from Denmark and other European allies. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen cautioned that any aggression in Greenland would end “everything,” including NATO and the post–World War II security framework.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet next week with Denmark’s foreign minister and Greenlandic representatives to discuss the issue.

Thousands of people across the United States took to the streets on Saturday following the fatal shooting of a woman by an immigration officer in Minneapolis. Demonstrators demanded the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, with protests spreading from Minneapolis to major cities including New York, Los Angeles, El Paso, Washington DC, Boston, and others.

In Minneapolis, about a thousand people gathered outside a hotel on Friday night, where some threw ice and stones at police officers, slightly injuring one officer. Several protesters were detained but later released. In Austin, Texas, demonstrators rallied outside a federal building carrying placards calling for an end to ICE and its alleged abuses. Similar protests were held outside the White House and in Philadelphia, where participants voiced fears that such incidents could recur and urged legislative reform of ICE.

The widespread demonstrations reflect growing public anger over immigration enforcement practices and calls for systemic change within the agency.

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to safeguard funds from Venezuelan oil sales held in U.S. Treasury accounts following the ouster of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. The White House said the order, signed on Friday, declares a national emergency to prevent the oil revenues from being seized by courts or creditors, describing the move as necessary to advance U.S. foreign policy and national security interests.

The decision followed a meeting in Washington where Trump urged top oil executives to invest in Venezuela. However, executives responded cautiously, with ExxonMobil’s chief calling the country “uninvestable without major reforms.” ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips had previously withdrawn from Venezuela in 2007 after refusing nationalization demands by then-president Hugo Chávez and are still pursuing legal claims against the country. Chevron remains the only U.S. company licensed to operate there.

According to the White House, the protection of Venezuelan oil revenues aims to prevent disruptions to U.S. efforts supporting Venezuela’s economic and political stability. The order came a week after U.S. forces reportedly captured Maduro in a nighttime raid in Caracas that left several Venezuelan and Cuban security personnel dead.

The United States has temporarily suspended the issuance of Diversity Immigrant Visas (DV), according to an emergency announcement from the U.S. Department of State. The department stated that the measure was taken to ensure national and public security, and no new visas under the DV lottery program will be issued until further notice.

The State Department explained that the decision followed recent incidents, including a shooting at Brown University and the killing of a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where the main suspect had entered the U.S. through the DV program. Authorities said the suspension aims to review and strengthen the screening and verification process to prevent potential security threats.

Applicants who have already applied or have scheduled interviews will still be able to attend them, but even successful candidates will not receive visas until new instructions are issued. Existing valid DV visas remain unaffected, and there are no updates yet regarding the DV-2027 lottery. The suspension will remain in place until the program’s procedures are fully revised.

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar undertook a 670-kilometer road journey to New York during his visit to the United States in September last year. According to a newly released report by the U.S. Department of State, American security officials arranged the road trip because commercial air travel was suspended due to a federal government shutdown. The report, prepared by the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), was made public on January 8, 2026.

The DSS organized the journey from the Lewiston–Queenston Bridge on the Canada–U.S. border to Manhattan, a trip lasting about seven hours. A total of 27 agents from the DSS’s Dignitary Protection Division and its New York and Buffalo field offices participated. Some agents drove separately to strengthen local security. The convoy passed through rural and remote areas of New York State under harsh winter conditions, with drivers rotated to ensure safety.

U.S. officials said the operation ensured that Jaishankar’s scheduled United Nations meeting proceeded as planned despite the shutdown. The DSS, under the State Department, is responsible for protecting U.S. diplomats and visiting foreign dignitaries.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States needs ownership of Greenland to prevent Russia and China from taking control of the territory. Speaking to reporters in Washington, he argued that countries must have ownership rather than lease agreements, adding that the U.S. would act to protect Greenland “the easy way or the hard way.” The White House recently confirmed that it is considering purchasing the semi-autonomous Danish territory, though it has not ruled out other means of integration.

Denmark and Greenland have both reiterated that the island is not for sale, warning that any military action could end the NATO alliance. European Union members and Canada have expressed support for Denmark and Greenland, emphasizing that only those two parties can decide their relationship. They also called for upholding the UN Charter’s principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Greenland’s leaders, including opposition parties, urged the U.S. to stop disregarding their autonomy, asserting that Greenland’s future should be determined by its own people. The U.S. Secretary of State is expected to discuss the issue with Denmark next week.