ISTANBUL

President Donald Trump postponed a decision on potential military strikes against Iran to consult with administration officials and regional partners about the operation's timing and strategic impact, media reports said on Thursday.

"The president isn't taking any option off the table, now or in the future. People shouldn't try to box him in," a US source told Axios regarding the internal deliberations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly spoke with Trump, urging a delay to grant Israel additional time to ready defenses against possible Iranian retaliation.

While the military option remains under consideration, concerns persist within the administration and among allies regarding whether targeted strikes on Iranian security forces would effectively destabilize the regime or merely invite significant counterattacks.

Simultaneously, the US military is evacuating personnel from bases in the Middle East and deploying reinforcements, including the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group, to the region.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that pressure from the president led to the postponement of 800 planned executions of protesters. This follows Trump's recent warnings to Tehran, where he stated that "help is on its way" for the Iranian people.

In a related move to increase economic pressure, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against Ali Larijani, secretary general of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, and other officials linked to the crackdown on protests.

On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied claims that authorities in his country planned to execute protesters following weeks of unrest.

"There is no any hanging, today or tomorrow ... I can tell you, I'm confident about that. There is no plan for hanging at all," Araghchi said.

Trump has said Tuesday that Washington would take “very strong action” if Iran carried out executions of protesters.