The uprising has been going on now for two weeks in Iran, and shows no signs of slowing.
President Donald Trump has warned the mullahs that if they started killing people, they are going to be hit "very hard." He amplified on that on Friday, noting that doesn't mean boots on the ground, but he would hit them "where it hurts." He described the uprisings as people "taking over cities" no one thought possible before.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: "Iran's in big trouble."
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 9, 2026
"We're watching the situation very carefully. I've made this statement very strongly that if they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved."
"And that doesn't mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting… pic.twitter.com/jh9n98BH5N
Given what we've seen from Trump, he's trying to get them to comply with his words. He doesn't want boots on the ground, but he's shown he's not afraid to do things like take out their nuclear facilities. And of course, the capture of Venezuela's dictator, Nicolás Maduro, sends a strong message to bad actors like Iran.
As retired General Jack Keane explained on Fox News' "Special Report" on Friday, the Iranians would be wise to take Trump seriously:
"I think I would take the president serious," he replied. "I have no insight into what they're thinking, but I'm listening to what they are saying. And he's dead serious."
"Anybody at this point that doesn’t take President Trump serious when he’s saying something like this, given the last year, is certainly reckless and irresponsible," he stressed.
Keane also explained that Iran was at its "weakest point" in 45 years with "no prospect of recovering."
"Politically, [the Iranian regime] can't meet the social and political and economic aspirations of the people. Economically, they're in the tank, to be sure, and with no prospect of recovering," Keane added.
"And, militarily, they just lost a war. They've lost their platform in Syria. Their proxies are, by and large, decapitated and almost eliminated, to be sure," he added. "The result of all of that is they are in a fundamentally weak position, and it's serious in terms of the regime."
The uprising has only gotten more intense. It has spread all across the country now. and people are even attacking government or government-connected buildings.
Protesters in the central city of Yazd gather in front of a state-linked relief foundation, widely accused of corruption, and set it on fire, while chanting "Long live the Shah" and "Pahlavi will return".
— Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan86) January 10, 2026
Video: @Vahid
Location: https://t.co/b0VSmlkCyP@GeoConfirmed pic.twitter.com/9bRSIOmjkS
Flams engulf the district five building of the municipality of Karaj. It's unclear how the fire started, but Iranian media has confirmed the incident this morning.
— Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan86) January 10, 2026
Location: https://t.co/qUllplulf6
Verified by: @factnameh @GeoConfirmed pic.twitter.com/XZEQ4VJROJ
People are acting, without regard to the dangers from the government, which spells doom for a dictatorship.
This is bravery.
THREAD: Despite an internet shutdown, mass protests are continuing in Iran tonight. Follow this thread for verified videos.
— Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan86) January 9, 2026
A protester sprays "Long live the Shah" on a billboard in Punak Square, west Tehran.
Video: @Vahid
Location: https://t.co/dnm98q6LmV@GeoConfirmed https://t.co/2h0bvOfEvi pic.twitter.com/TF0lrDmNaH
13th day of anti-establishment protests in Iran
— Ghoncheh Habibiazad | غنچه (@GhonchehAzad) January 9, 2026
Video shows a protester holding a photo of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s late Shah. The video first emerged tonight.
Loc: 35.78202, 51.37548@GeoConfirmed pic.twitter.com/ZJ0GaOlnuR
Unconfirmed reports had women lighting up to smoke, which is is considered bad for women in Iran, while also lighting up a picture of the Ayatollah. One of these was in Toronto, but some of the others are reportedly in Iran.
Iranian women are done with Ayatollah Khamenei.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 9, 2026
They want him gone pic.twitter.com/QFSHVcOfg0
The protests continue despite the regime now threatening people with the death penalty. The regime claims they have arrested 100 armed rioters.
Rights groups said that at least 65 people had been killed by Friday evening, including 50 protesting citizens and 14 law enforcement personnel. Seven of the protestors were children, they said.
So they're already on borrowed time for that Trump response.
The regime is trying to shut things down by cutting off the internet - but it isn't working.
READ MORE: Internet Down in Iran As Protests Rage, Trump Vows Harsh Consequences If Mullahs Shoot Demonstrators
Watch: Protests in Iran Are Spreading, As More Bravely Stand Up to the Regime
Not only did Trump and General Keane think things didn't look good for the regime. Our sister site Townhall reported, according to a report from Nir Dvori on News 12 in Israel, Israeli intelligence, which had previously said they didn't think Iran was going to fall about eight days ago, now thought it could fall.
Report: Israel’s military intelligence now believes the Tehran government could fall, a change in its assessment as Iranian protests spread. (@NDvori @N12News) pic.twitter.com/8VpaVbTPF0
— Dan Williams (@DanWilliams) January 9, 2026
The IDF, in response to an inquiry from Bloomberg's Dan Williams, wasn't commenting, which tends to make me believe this report.
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