A retired American military commander has issued a stark warning to the Iranian leadership, urging them to treat President Donald Trump's threats of intervention over the nation's violent crackdown on protesters as profoundly serious.
Trump's Threats and a Chilling Warning
Last week, President Trump explicitly threatened Iran with military action amid a brutal state response to widespread anti-regime demonstrations. He warned the country's rulers that the United States would 'come to [protesters'] rescue' if the killings continued.
Jack Keane, a retired four-star general and Fox News analyst, has now cautioned Tehran to deeply consider these threats as legitimate. 'I would take President Trump dead serious here,' he stated during a Friday night broadcast. '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.'
Defiance and Escalation on the Ground
Keane's comments came just hours before Iranian security forces reportedly killed at least 50 protesters, signalling the regime's defiance of Trump's warning. The protests, triggered by a collapsing currency and economic hardship, have spread to over 220 towns and cities across 26 provinces, leading to up to 2,500 arrests.
Despite an internet blackout imposed by authorities to stifle communication, demonstrations have continued, posing one of the most significant challenges to the Islamic Republic in over four decades. In response, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei labelled protesters 'vandals and saboteurs' and insisted the regime would 'not back down'.
A Regime at its 'Weakest Point'
General Keane argued that the Iranian regime is currently at its 'weakest point' with 'no prospect of recovering'. He cited political failure, economic collapse, and military setbacks. 'Politically, they can't meet the social and political and economic aspirations of the people. Economically, they're in the tank... And, militarily, they just lost a war,' he analysed on Fox News.
This assessment follows significant US military action against Iran earlier in the year. In June, the US launched Operation Midnight Hammer, striking the Fordow nuclear site with B-2 bombers, which Washington said neutralised Iran's nuclear programme and ended a 45-year stand-off.
The precedent of swift action was underscored just last weekend when Trump ordered a strike on Venezuela, capturing President Nicolas Maduro on drug trafficking charges after months of warnings. Secretary of State Marco Rubio subsequently advised, 'Don't play games when this president's in office. It's not going to turn out well.'
Reports suggest the US threats have alarmed the Iranian leadership. According to intelligence sources cited by The Times of London, the 86-year-old Ayatollah Khamenei has a 'plan B' to flee to Moscow with up to 20 aides and family members if his security forces fail to quell the uprising, with assets and properties abroad allegedly prepared for this eventuality.
Khamenei, however, has struck a defiant public tone, accusing 'arrogant' Donald Trump of having 'hands stained with the blood of more than a thousand Iranians' and predicting the US leader would be overthrown. The White House has been approached for further comment on the escalating situation.
