Iran’s own officials have now admitted what the world feared: the regime’s brutal crackdown has left thousands dead, with an Iranian official telling Reuters that at least 5,000 people have been verified killed in the protests. This is not the soft-spoken number of “collateral damage” the mullahs usually foist on the world; it is an ugly, unapologetic tally that proves the Islamic Republic will slaughter its own people to cling to power.
The scope of the carnage is still being hammered out because Tehran cut off the internet and restricted communications during the worst of the violence, but independent tallies and leaked hospital reports suggest the real figure could be far higher. Some investigative reports and activist networks inside and outside Iran have put the death toll in the tens of thousands, painting a picture of indiscriminate, military-style violence against unarmed citizens daring to demand change.
President Trump has stood firmly on the side of the brave Iranians, telling protesters to keep pushing and declaring that “help is on the way,” a rare moment of clear moral leadership that the West sorely needed. His words were not vague platitudes — they signaled to the tyrants in Tehran that there will be consequences and to the Iranian patriots that they do not stand alone. America must always be the beacon of liberty for people crushed under the boot of radical clerics.
Fox News’ own reporting has underscored the gravity of the crisis, with chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst detailing the regime’s admission and senators like John Cornyn weighing in on Sunday to back strong measures and support for dissidents. Conservative voices in the Senate are rightly pushing for maximum pressure — not appeasement — and demanding clarity from our government on targeted sanctions and accountability for those who ordered these killings. The media establishment may wring its hands, but patriots know the right side of history when we see it.
Let’s be frank: the Iranian regime’s pattern is predictable — blame foreign enemies, stage pro-regime rallies, and try to bury the truth under censorship and propaganda. That gambit won’t fool the free world. We should accelerate targeted economic pressure, expand sanctions on the regime’s financial networks, and use every diplomatic lever to isolate Tehran while funneling humanitarian and communications aid to the people who risk everything to reclaim their country.
Americans who love freedom must demand that our leaders do more than tweet sympathy. Congress should authorize robust, surgical options that cripple the regime’s ability to murder and censor, while protecting innocent Iranians and avoiding endless entanglement. The days of tepid statements and hand-wringing are over; the United States should stand with the oppressed and leverage its power to hasten the downfall of a theocracy that brutalizes its citizens.
This is a defining moment for conservatives and patriots everywhere: support the brave men and women in Iran, pressure our leaders to act with resolve, and never forget that liberty is not a spectator sport. The world is watching — and history will remember who stood with the freedom fighters and who chose the comfortable path of inaction.
