Following the rollout of Trump’s "Maximum Pressure 2.0" sanctions campaign against the Islamic regime in Iran, hardliners within the regime have doubled down on anti-American rhetoric, reversing their previously dovish willingness to engage in negotiations.
IRAN IN FREE FALL
Crippling sanctions that could collapse Iran’s economy and bring its oil exports down to zero—that is what President Trump’s team aims to achieve in dealing with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The move has been met with hostility from regime officials, who have already attempted to assassinate the president multiple times before the election.
As the Islamic Republic marked 46 years since the 1979 revolution yesterday, Iran’s currency plummeted to record lows. The day’s festivities were dominated by regime-led incitement against both Israel and President Trump, including theatrical mock arrests of Trump in the streets and renewed threats against him from senior officials.
This comes as Trump has explicitly stated he prefers a verified nuclear deal over war to halt the regime’s rogue pursuit of nuclear weapons—a move Tehran has dismissed as “insincere.”
In recent days, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has repeatedly shut down the possibility of negotiations with the U.S., issuing threats and hosting Hamas leadership in a show of solidarity against both the United States and Israel.
Earlier this week, an IRGC-affiliated Telegram channel released a video threatening to assassinate Trump, and Iranian MP Mojtaba Zarei explicitly called for the U.S. president’s assassination.
However, as the regime marked 46 years of Islamic rule, ordinary Iranians responded by chanting "Death to the dictator" from their balconies across the country. In southwestern Iran, large protests erupted against the regime, highlighting growing domestic discontent.