White House envoy Steve Witkoff held a secret meeting this weekend with Reza Pahlavi, the heir to the exiled Pahlavi dynasty, to discuss the protests, Axios reports.
This was the first high-level meeting between the Iranian opposition and the Trump administration since the protests began.
Pahlavi is trying to position himself as a "transitional leader" in case the regime falls.
The White House national security team held a meeting on Monday to consider response options, although President Trump did not attend.
The serious situation within the country
Footage shared by activists shows bodies with severe bullet wounds and citizens trying to identify their relatives among the dead. Security forces are reported to be raiding private hospitals, threatening medical staff to hand over information on the injured. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has confirmed that the death toll has passed 2,000, but fears are that the final figure could be much higher.
President Donald Trump reacted in a harsh tone, urging "Iranian patriots" not to surrender and take control of institutions, while his national security team considers options that include military means and clandestine operations.
Human rights activists have compared the communications blockade to a "solitary prison" for the Iranian people, so that the regime can suppress protesters without the world seeing.
The protests began in late December over rising living costs and quickly turned into a national revolt that spanned all 31 provinces of Iran, demanding the end of the regime that has been in power since the 1979 revolution.