Yesterday, Noah reminded us that the Iranian regime’s massacre of its protesting citizens is still going on, and regardless of which estimate you cite, the death toll is now many times that of the 9/11 attacks:
“It is understood that at least 16,500 people have been killed by security forces,” the British broadcaster LBC reported, “however there are fears that accurate figures far surpass this, but are being veiled by Tehran.” Indeed. The opposition-backed news outlet Iran International believes that more than 36,000 were killed at the height of the protests this month.
Back on January 8, President Donald Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt that, regarding the Iranian regime, “They’re doing very poorly and I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots. They have lots of riots. If they do it, we’re going to hit them very hard.”
On January 13, two weeks ago, the president posted on Truth Social:
Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING — TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
And then on January 15, President Trump surprised many when he declared, “We have been informed by very important sources on the other side, and they’ve said the killing is stopped and the executions won’t take place.”
I know this is going to shock you, but it appears that the president was not “reliably informed by very important sources on the other side” that “the killing is stopped.”
On Monday, the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group entered the U.S. Central Command region in the Indian Ocean. Many analysts believe it is headed toward the Persian Gulf, within range to conduct airstrikes on Iran if the president gives that order.
The president may well “hit them very hard,” as he pledged. But any U.S. military action will arrive far too late for thousands of Iranians who stood up against their oppressors.