It’s not a joke. We’re two weeks into the Iranian protests, and the nation’s Islamist government could fall. We have women lighting cigarettes by burning images of Ayatollah Khamenei. The police and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps offices are being either vandalized or burned. The Islamic Republic has never been weaker, and the people know it. Israeli military intelligence revised its assessment of the situation this week, adding that the popular unrest could topple the regime.
Yet, it hasn’t been without a cost: hundreds of protesters have been killed. With no Internet, it’s hard to verify these figures, but hospitals in major cities have been inundated with gunshot victims, and there are reports of wholesale slaughter by government forces. That aspect is not in dispute, but we don’t know the true figure yet, with the death toll ranging from at least 500 to 10,000. The latter might be an exaggeration, but it’s a situation that President Trump is monitoring.
.@POTUS on Iran: "We're looking at some very strong options... I'm getting an hourly report, and we're going to make a determination very soon." pic.twitter.com/XnDOCZSMpv
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 12, 2026
NOW - Trump says Iranian leaders called him yesterday and "they want to negotiate... a meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what's happening, before the meeting." pic.twitter.com/CF2DC6Pwbg
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) January 12, 2026
Eyewitness to BBC World Service: Over 10,000 Dead as Iranian Forces Unleash Automatic Rifles on Protesters
— NewsWire (@NewsWire_US) January 12, 2026
The latest videos from Kahrizak show on thing clearly.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 11, 2026
The Islamic regime is in the process of mass murdering the Iranian people.
This is why they shut down the internet.
Trump said during a press gaggle on Air Force One last night that some very strong options are being considered. In typical fashion, he didn’t divulge what that meant, but he did promise dire consequences could befall the ayatollah if the slaughter of demonstrators continues.
The New York Post reported over the weekend that the 'very strong options' could be military strikes, as most have already assumed:
The Trump administration is reportedly preparing preliminary plans for an attack on Iran, including the option of large-scale airstrikes.
Officials are considering how to follow through on President Trump’s recent elevated threats against the Islamic Republic, including what sites might be targeted, insiders told the Wall Street Journal.
A massive aerial strike campaign on multiple Iranian military targets is one option being considered — although Washington has not reached consensus on a plan of action.
No military equipment or personnel have been moved for a potential attack, the insiders said.
[…]
Trump, however, teased that the US was gearing up to retaliate should Tehran continue killing protesters in a post on Truth Social.
“Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,” he wrote Saturday. “The USA stands ready to help!!!”
A US attack on Iran would not be unprecedented — Trump ordered the first-ever US strike on Iranian territory back in June.
