Unassigned

Locked and Loaded: President Trump Threatens Military Action Against Iran

Eric V.
Eric V.  |  10:00 PM on January 02, 2026

Not that you would notice if you get your news from legacy media outlets, but there's something big going on in Iran. Millions across the country are taking to the streets and rising up against the Islamic regime that has ruled the oil-rich nation with an iron fist since 1979.

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Yeah, we know, we've seen this story play out time and again. As quickly as a protest movement begins, it is brutally put down by the Ayatollah's personal thugs of the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC). Troublemakers are identified and disappeared. Order is forcefully, if only temporarily, restored.

Wash, rinse, repeat. It's been happening for decades.

Something different happened over the last week. The regime responded to protests that began with merchants who were upset by hyperinflation and financial pressures caused by Iran's collapsing economy. The IRGC swung the iron fist, but the protest was not quelled. It grew, and since then it has spread.

In cities across the country, millions have taken to the streets and are demanding an end to the rule of the Islamic regime, and they're not backing down.

Is this the time that protests turn into a revolution? Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's government is teetering. In the months since the United States, in conjunction with Israel, bombed nuclear weapons sites in Iran, they have faced increased sanctions and international isolation. Their currency has lost forty percent of its value, sending their economy into a freefall. Infrastructure is failing. The electric grid is faltering, and in Tehran, a city of over nine million people, they are running out of water.

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The people of Iran are desperate, and they are not backing down. Thus far, Iranian authorities have shown no ability to stop them.

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If all these reports are accurate, the Supreme Leader and his brutal regime may be in trouble. Sensing that possibility, Iran's opposition leader, and the man who could be named Shah if the Islamic Republic were toppled, Reza Pahlavi, released the following statement.

Pahlavi's entire statement:

“My fellow countrymen, greetings to you and your honor and courage. The Islamic Republic tried to confine you to your homes by closing public places and universities. But you bravely stood in the streets. I am proud of each and every one of you. There is a need for greater solidarity and to maintain control of the streets. Therefore, I ask you to use every opportunity, gathering, and event in the coming days to expand this movement. My team and I will continue to work towards mobilizing more forces, causing more defections from the regime, and also conveying your voice to the world. Victory is ours.”

It all has the makings of a revolution, but the Islamic Republic won't fall without a fight. According to Fox News, among other sources, there have been many arrests, and at least six protesters have been killed over the last six days.

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In the wake of the growing violence, President Trump issued a stark, and very direct warning to the Islamic Republic. The U.S. will intervene if Iran starts killing protesters, adding 'We are locked and loaded.'

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The Truth Social post got Iran's attention and they responded, as expected, with threatening rhetoric.

Ali Larijani, a former parliament speaker who serves as the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, pushed back on Trump's post, writing on X that, "With the statements by Israeli officials and Donald Trump, what has been going on behind the scenes is now clear. We distinguish between the stance of the protesting shopkeepers and the actions of disruptive actors, and Trump should know that U.S. interference in this internal matter would mean destabilizing the entire region and destroying America’s interests."

"The American people should know — Trump started this adventurism. They should be mindful of their soldiers’ safety," Larijani added.

It's highly unlikely there would be any American boots on the ground. If the U.S. does take action, Larijani should look to the sky. A few well placed cruise missles would go a long way to embolden Iranians who are fighting to overthrow the Islamic regime.

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The thought of Iran returning to secular rule that doesn't provide a gravy train to terrorist organizations like Hamas, is an integing one. How much of a role the United States and/or other regional players should have in that transition is open for debate.

One thing's for sure. Donald Trump has shown that his threats of military intervention are not of the idle variety. If Iranian authorities continue to escalate violence against their own citizens, they may soon find that out.

Again.