Middle East Today | The National

US President Donald Trump is leaning toward striking Iran to punish the regime for killing protesters, but he hasn't made a final decision and is exploring Iranian proposals for negotiations, Axios reported citing a White House official. Why it matters: Mr Trump warned last week that Iran’s leaders would be “hit very hard” if security forces continued killing protesters. At least 648 protesters have been killed in the crackdown by Iranian security forces, Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) said on Monday, warning the actual toll could be far higher. Dr Kayvan Mirhadi, a US-based physician who compiles witness accounts from Iran's two largest cities, told my colleague Thomas Watkins that Iranian authorities have been targeting young protesters, many of whom have been shot in the head. Read more here, and on how the Iranian protests have put Mr Trump at a crossroads, here.
President Trump said on Monday that any country doing business with Iran will face a tariff rate of 25 per cent on trade with America. China was quick to “firmly” oppose the tariff threat. The announcement comes as Mr Trump is considering his response to the Iranian government's crackdown on widespread protests in the country. The President is reportedly due to be briefed on possible responses to the situation in Iran on Tuesday, according to US media. CBS News reported that the Pentagon had already presented him with military, cyber and psychological options for action against the Islamic Republic.
A prolonged internet shutdown has left Iranians abroad cut off from their families and offered little clarity on whether authorities in Tehran have indeed quelled the violence after the ruling regime declared it had restored calm. When will internet return to Iran? The National's technology policy editor, Cody Combs, explains here.
Non-essential French embassy staff have left Iran, AFP reported. The personnel left on Sunday and Monday, the news agency added, without saying how many people had departed.
US Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg announced that Qatar and the US had signed the Pax Silica declaration, a US-led initiative ⁠to build a silicon supply chain from critical minerals to semiconductors and AI infrastructure. Mr Helberg said: “Qatar joined Israel as our second partner in the Middle East to enter Pax Silica."
US Senior Adviser for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos said that the US, the UAE and Saudi Arabia "share a common objective in Yemen". Mr Boulos said in a post on X that the three countries "agree on the importance of defeating the Houthis and other terrorist actors for the benefit of all of Yemen and the stability of the region”.

Egypt’s newly elected House of Representatives convened on Monday for its opening session, after weeks of controversy surrounding the integrity of the parliamentary election process that began late last year.
Gaza's Civil Defence said that three people were killed overnight by a building collapse as a result of strong winds and heavy rain.
Three months into the ceasefire in Gaza, Israel's attacks have claimed more than 400 lives in the Palestinian territory, including many children, according to figures from the health ministry.
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council chief Rashad Al Alimi has ordered the closure of all “illegal prisons and detention centres in the liberated governorates”.

More goings-on

Iran's flag has been changed on the latest version of the X social media platform, now showing the country's pre-Islamic Revolution flag featuring a lion.
Dubai last year set a record for selling homes valued at more than $10 million as demand for luxury residences remained strong amid an influx of global wealthy individuals to the emirate.
Etihad Airways carried 22.4 million passengers last year, a 21 per cent increase year-on-year as the Abu Dhabi airline continues to expand its route network and demand for travel soars.