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senior strategic analyst Jack Keane, a retired general, gave a grave assessment of the state of the Iranian regime amid its crackdown on anti-government protests and hinted at what could come next Friday on “Special Report.”
“If I was in the Iranian regime, I would take President Trump dead serious here,” Keane warned.
On Friday, President Donald Trump warned in a Truth Social post that the U.S. is “locked and loaded and ready to go” if the Iranian regime shoots and kills protesters.
His message comes as anti-regime demonstrations enter their second week and at least 44 protesters have been killed by Iranian security, according to the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
IRAN PROTESTS PROMPT NEW TRUMP WARNING OVER DEADLY GOVERNMENT CRACKDOWNS
Keane declared the Iranian regime is at its “weakest point” in 45 years with “no prospect of recovering.”
Noting Trump’s warning under “no uncertain terms,” Keane listed other key differences about the anti-regime protests that stood out to him from previous demonstrations in Iran.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sits next to a senior military official in Iran. (Getty Images)
“Politically, [the Iranian regime] can’t meet the social and political and economic aspirations of the people. Economically, they’re in the tank, to be sure, and with no prospect of recovering,” Keane added.
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“And, militarily, they just lost a war. They’ve lost their platform in Syria. Their proxies are, by and large, decapitated and almost eliminated, to be sure,” he added. “The result of all of that is they are in a fundamentally weak position, and it’s serious in terms of the regime.”
The retired U.S. Army general connected his assessment of the Iranian regime to civilian protests.
Anti-Iran regime protests grow across the country as the Trump administration boosts demonstrators offering support. (Alex Brandon/AP ; Fars News Agency via AP)
“And when you have that, it also breeds discontent and breaks down trust and unity because people begin to fear about their own survival,” he explained.
IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER BLAMES TRUMP FOR INCREASINGLY INTENSE DEMONSTRATIONS
When anchor Bret Baier asked Keane what he thought about the probability of “some kind of strike” from the U.S. or Israel in support of anti-regime protesters happening soon, he did not offer a definitive answer.
“I think I would take the president serious,” he replied. “I have no insight into what they’re thinking, but I’m listening to what they are saying. And he’s dead serious.”
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Doubling down on his assertion, Keane appeared to refer to the U.S. military’s obliteration of Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites in 2025.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Natanz nuclear site in Iran Jan. 24, 2025. (Maxar Technologies/AP)
“Anybody at this point that doesn’t take President Trump serious when he’s saying something like this, given the last year, is certainly reckless and irresponsible,” he stressed.
