US President Donald Trump is considering several options for supporting protests in Iran and weakening the regime, with discussions including potential military strikes, two American officials told Axios on January 11.

"All options are on the table for President Trump, but no decision has been made," a US official said.

A second official said most options presented to the president at this stage are "not kinetic," though the officials acknowledged it is difficult to predict which option Trump will choose.

Massive protests took place across Iran on January 10 for the third consecutive night, with the country under an internet blackout and security forces intensifying the crackdown, according to reports from Tehran and US and Israeli officials.

An Israeli defence official said hundreds of thousands of Iranians demonstrated in recent days. Israeli and US officials told Axios the true death toll is likely several times higher than the 116 reported on January 10 by the human rights group HRANA.

Iranian opposition television channel Iran International reported on January 10 that 2,000 protesters had been killed over the previous 48 hours, whilst an Israeli official claimed the total death toll exceeded 1,000.

Other estimates are lower, with a US official describing the death toll as "high." None of the numbers has been confirmed.

Trump suggested on January 10 that the US could intervene on behalf of protesters, writing that "Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the protests in a call on January 10, according to three US sources. A US official described the call as "routine" and said it also addressed Gaza and Syria.

Iran has blamed Trump for fuelling the protests and accused the US and Israel of importing "rioters." President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on January 11 that if the US attacks, Iran will strike US bases and Israel in response. Pezeshkian also said Iran was determined to address the economic turmoil that sparked the protests.

Initial meetings have taken place within the administration in recent days to discuss ways to support the protests. Whilst US military strikes against Iranian regime targets are amongst the options being discussed, many inside the Trump administration think major kinetic action at this stage would undermine the protests, a US official said.

Other options include steps to deter the regime, such as announcing an aircraft carrier strike group is heading to the region. Cyberattacks and information operations against the Iranian regime are also being considered, the official said.

Two senior Israeli officials said the Iranian regime and its security services appeared surprised by protest growth since January 8. "After Thursday the Iranian regime was significantly concerned and conducted a serious reassessment of the situation," an Israeli defence official with knowledge of intelligence on Iran said.

A US official and a senior Israeli official both said there are some signs of dissent within Iranian security forces, though it remains unclear how widespread it is. None of the officials said the regime appeared in danger of imminent collapse.