(Worthy Insights) – President Donald Trump has found a new source of leverage against Iran’s Islamist regime — the Iranian people themselves.
Protests that began nine days ago have now spread to 26 of Iran’s 31 provinces, as economic unrest catalyzed widespread dissatisfaction with the regime to the brink of open revolt. As is its habit, the repressive regime is now turning its weapons upon its own subjects, earning a stern warning from President Trump. “If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their [the protesters’] rescue,” the president said on social media. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”
The protest began with shopkeepers and bazaar merchants closing their doors in response to dire economic conditions. Since Iran’s war with Israel, its rial currency has lost 60% of its value, dropping at one point to a record low of 1.445 million to the dollar. Iran’s annual inflation rate reached 42.2% in December, with food prices up 72%. Meanwhile, Iran’s central bank registered a decline in gross GDP of 0.6% (0.8% excluding oil) for the six months beginning in late March 2025. [ Source (Read More…) ]