ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said US President Donald Trump would prefer a diplomatic route with Iran, but stressed that he would not shy away from “military options” if Tehran does not cease its heavy crackdown on peaceful protesters.

Mass anti-government demonstrations have engulfed Iran in recent weeks, prompting a heavy response from Iranian authorities, with over 650 protesters killed so far, according to confirmed figures by rights watchdogs, while the actual toll is feared to be much higher.

“Diplomacy is always the first option for the president,” Leavitt told reporters on Monday, while stressing that Trump is “unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.”

“Airstrikes would be one of the many many options that are on the table for the Commander-in-Chief,” the spokesperson noted.

Leavitt said that Iranian officials have recently reached out to the Trump administration following the American president’s threats, claiming that public statements made by Iran are “quite different” from what Washington receives privately.

According to Axios, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed the possibility of holding a meeting “in the coming days” with US Special Envoy to the Middle EastSteve Witkoff. Araghchi later told Al-Jazeera that Tehran will not negotiate under military threats.

Nationwide demonstrations in Iran began on December 27 at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, where business owners and shopkeepers launched strikes and protests over the falling value of the Iranian rial against the US dollar.

The demonstrations later spread to other provinces, with chants increasingly targeting the state amid a surging current of anti-government sentiment.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack should Tehran kill peaceful protesters.

The Norway-based Iran Human Rights on Monday reported that at least 648 protesters have been killed and thousands have been injured in 16 days of protests, with more 10,000 arrested.

The watchdog noted that some reports estimate more than 6,000 may have been killed, but that remains difficult to verify as Iranian authorities have imposed a nationwide internet blackout since January 8, severely restricting access to information.

“He [Trump] certainly doesn’t wanna see people being killed in the streets of Tehran and unfortunately that something we’re seeing right now,” Leavitt added.

Iranian authorities have dismissed Trump’s threats, with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf recently warning that the US and Israel would be “legitimate targets” should Washington intervene militarily.