Trump praised for his statement of support for anti-regime protesters in Iran

WASHINGTON, DC: Foreign policy analysts Dr Walid Phares and Steve Yates praised President Donald Trump for showing his support toward anti-regime protesters in Iran.

Trump took to Truth Social on Friday, January 2, and wrote, "If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go."

Walid Phares calls Trump the 'most formidable weapon' against Iran

On Newsmax on Friday, the host discussed with Dr Walid Phares, a commentator on world conflicts and international relations who served in Trump's 2016 campaign, and Steve Yates, a Senior Research Fellow for China and National Security Policy at The Heritage Foundation, the ongoing protests in Iran. The news anchor then asked them what they thought about Trump's statement.

"Looks like our President very quickly showed that powerful tweet and committed that if the regime is gonna go the route of Asad, we will do something about it," Phares said on Newsmax.

The host then asked Yates if the Iranian regime is listening to the open warning sent by the POTUS, and he said, "I think they have to listen. I am not entirely sure what 'locked and loaded' means at this point. But I do think that it is extremely important that the United States at least find ways to support the communication and coordination, and the resilience of the freedom movement inside Iran."

"That is the best path to regional peace and prosperity there could be if we are going to have peace and prosperity. I think it is coherently consistent with what the President was trying to do with the Abraham Accords, but also trying to make sure there aren't malign influences to spill over," Yates added. 

Meanwhile, Phares added, "The most formidable weapon, which is not arms, that we have is our president. The president has now given us the tip of the iceberg, and if he follows it with an actual speech from the White House to the Iranian people, we don't need to be on the ground. 200 to 300 Iranians are on the ground, and what they have to hear is the most powerful person in the world right now, which is Donald Trump."

Iran says any intervention 'will be cut off with a regret-inducing response'

Following Trump's warning, Iranian officials swiftly responded to his comments, saying that any US interference would be met with retaliation.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, "All American centers and forces across the entire region will be legitimate targets for us in response to any potential adventurism."

Meanwhile, Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Iran’s national security was a "red line, not material for adventurist tweets."

"Any intervening hand nearing Iran security on pretexts will be cut off with a regret-inducing response," Khamenei added.