The White House is weighing its options in response to a deadly crackdown by the Iranian regime.

The US-based rights group HRANA estimates more than 2,600 people have died and more than 8,000 have been detained since nation-wide protests began.

Iran has warned it will strike US bases in the region if Washington intervenes and President Donald Trump has appeared to tone down his public rhetoric, saying he's been told the killing of protesters in Iran is easing — and there's no plan for mass executions.

The United Nations Security Council is due to meet as fears grow of a wider regional escalation.

Guest: Ambassador Barbara Leaf, a former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs under Joe Biden and a Diplomatic Fellow at the Middle East Institute

Producer: Anne Barker