Retired Gen. Jack Keane told Americans plainly what many of us already suspected: the ayatollahs should take President Trump “dead serious” when he warns Iran against killing its own people. Keane, who speaks from long experience in defense and national security, argued on Special Report that Tehran is at its weakest point in decades and that Washington’s tone matters when lives are on the line.
President Trump’s “locked and loaded and ready to go” message on Truth Social came as anti-regime demonstrations spread across dozens of cities and reports of deadly crackdowns emerged, showing the Iranian regime is rattled like never before. The unrest, internet blackouts, and violent repression of protesters created a moment when American resolve can either deter further bloodshed or be squandered by weak leadership.
Keane’s blunt assessment — that the regime is politically isolated, economically exhausted, and militarily diminished after recent setbacks — should harden U.S. policy, not soften it. Conservatives who cherish freedom must see this as a rare opening to stand unequivocally with Iranians pushing back against clerical tyranny and to back measures that hasten the regime’s peaceful collapse.
When asked whether a strike by the U.S. or Israel is likely, Keane wouldn’t predict specifics, but he reminded viewers that rhetoric backed by action carries credibility — citing last year’s dismantling of Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites as proof that America can and will act. That reality is the only language despots understand: consistent strength and the willingness to use it when innocent lives are in danger.
To anyone who still doubts President Trump’s seriousness, Keane’s warning is a call to stop appeasing and start supporting. The choice is clear: either stand with liberty-loving protesters and a commander-in-chief who will defend them, or watch a feckless foreign policy embolden tyrants and cost lives — a risk the American people should not accept.
Patriots must demand our leaders keep America first by projecting strength, supporting brave Iranians, and rolling back the nuclear threat once and for all. Let there be no confusion in Tehran: when freedom cries out, America answers with conviction, resolve, and the willingness to protect those who yearn for liberty.
