Iran’s supreme leader publicly admitted that “several thousands” were killed in the nationwide unrest that erupted at the end of December, an extraordinary concession from a regime that usually hides its brutality behind bluster and censorship. That admission, paired with threats of punishment and death for demonstrators, shows a government stretched thin and willing to resort to any cruelty to cling to power — and it should unsettle every freedom-loving American.
Independent monitors and rights groups say the human toll is staggering: thousands dead, tens of thousands detained, and widespread reports of torture and abuse while Tehran chokes off the internet to hide its crimes. Families forced to pay to reclaim bodies and evidence of mass arrests underscore that this is not orderly law enforcement — it’s state terror against its own people.
On Sean Hannity’s show, Sen. Markwayne Mullin rightly refused to be impressed by the ayatollah’s threats, calling that rhetoric “nothing” in the face of a regime that already proves its brutality at home and aggression abroad. Mullin warned the United States can and should respond from a position of strength rather than moral equivocation, and conservatives should applaud leaders who speak plainly for the rights of oppressed people.
Make no mistake: Tehran’s talk of executions, “mohareb” charges and rapid, merciless trials is the language of a desperate theocracy trying to frighten its citizens into submission. When a regime resorts to public threats and show trials, the world must recognize that this isn’t internal order — it’s tyranny — and it deserves condemnation, isolation, and targeted pressure.
America has a proud tradition of standing with those who risk everything for freedom, and now is not the time for weakness or hollow speeches. The best conservative response is measured strength: back human rights monitoring, choke off the regime’s finances and access to technology that enables repression, and make clear to Tehran that its actions will have real consequences.
Hardworking Americans know that freedom isn’t free, and we shouldn’t pretend that tyrants respect words without being held to account for deeds. Stand with the Iranian people demanding liberty, demand that our leaders stop appeasing murderous regimes, and let every tyrant know that America will not look the other way when innocent people are slaughtered for daring to demand dignity.
