diff --git a/manage_iptables b/manage_iptables
index f076be2..11b93f5 100644
--- a/manage_iptables
+++ b/manage_iptables
@@ -82,7 +82,12 @@ remove_from_whitelist() {
 while true; do
     show_menu
     read -p "Select an option [1-6]: " option
-    option=$(echo "$option" | tr -d '[:space:]')  # Trim whitespace
+
+    # Check if input is empty
+    if [[ -z "$option" ]]; then
+        echo "No option selected. Please try again."
+        continue
+    fi
 
     case $option in
         1)