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Iran protests prompt new Trump warning over deadly government crackdowns
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President Donald Trump vowed Sunday evening that the Islamic Republic of Iran will «get hit very hard,» if Tehran repeats the killing of protesters, as it has during previous citizen-led revolts against the regime.
When asked about his initial comments on protecting Iranian demonstrators during a press gaggle on board Air Force One, Trump said that «We’re watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they’re going to get hit very hard by the United States.»
Anti-regime protests have engulfed Iran for the last nine days amid Trump’s second threat to intervene on the side of the demonstrators in Iran.
TRUMP VOWS TO ‘KNOCK THE HELL OUT OF’ IRAN IF NUCLEAR PROGRAM IS REBUILT AGAIN AFTER HIGH-STAKES MEETING
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters while in flight on Air Force One, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, while returning to Joint Base Andrews, Md. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)
According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI), the intensity of the protests has reached at least 78 cities and 222 locations, with protesters demanding the end of the regime controlled by the 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The group said the regime has killed at least 20 people, including three children, and arrested 990 people. Khamenei’s security forces have detained more than 40 children, HRAI noted.
Iran expert Shukriya Bradost, who is CEO of Four Sides Security Solutions, told Fox News Digital that «Trump’s warning to the Iranian regime emboldened protesters because it came from a president who had already demonstrated a willingness to confront Tehran directly, most notably by ordering the killing of Qassem Soleimani. For Iranians who felt abandoned during the 2009 Green Movement under the Obama administration, and later disappointed by the Biden administration’s softer approach toward the regime, Trump’s words were seen as credible and empowering.»
A U.S. military drone strike killed the former Iranian general, Soleimani, in Iraq on Jan. 3, 2020.
IRAN KILLING SPREE CONTINUES AS REGIME SETS NEW RECORD FOR 2025 EXECUTIONS, DISSIDENT GROUP SAYS
Protesters march in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP)
Bradost added, «Today, many Iranians want Trump to maintain that same clarity: to side openly with the Iranian people, not the regime, and to make clear that repression will not be ignored or normalized.
«The Islamic Republic is no longer a functional system. The central question now is whether U.S. policy reinforces the Iranian people’s demand for genuine change, or unintentionally helps parts of a collapsing regime survive.»
Iranian protesters asked during the 2009 protests, «Obama: Are you with us or against us?» Then-President Barack Obama sided with the Islamic Republic at the time. He said in 2022 that he regretted his alliance with Khamenei’s regime during the Green Movement.
PROTESTS SPREAD ACROSS IRAN AS REGIME THREATENS US FORCES AS ‘LEGITIMATE TARGETS’ AFTER TRUMP WARNING
Trump’s pro-protest language has breathed additional fire and life into demonstrations, according to close followers of the upheaval blanketing Iran.
Mardo Soghom, a veteran Iran expert who has written extensively about the nation, told Fox News Digital that «There is little doubt that President Trump’s warning to Iran’s Islamic rulers will embolden Iranians, but the fact is that they began their recent protests before Trump made those comments. Most of the Iranians opposed to the regime, especially those inside the country protesting in the streets, are asking for Israeli or U.S. assistance in sort of disarming the regime and neutralizing its forces of repression.»
He added, «The current round of protests in Iran is different from previous rounds. People are not asking for reforms, but unanimously and categorically they are aiming for regime change. The protests are also more forceful. This time around, the people are less afraid of the notorious security forces and appear more determined.»
MIKE POMPEO: THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC IS ON THE ROPES. TIME FOR TRUMP, IRANIANS TO FINISH THE JOB
Tehran’s options have been limited by Trump’s threats and a long-running economic crisis that deepened after Israel, joined by the U.S., launched strikes on the Islamic Republic in June in a 12-day war that pummelled several of Iran’s nuclear sites.
«These twin pressures have narrowed Tehran’s room for maneuver, leaving leaders caught between public anger on the streets and hardening demands and threats from Washington, with few viable options and high risks on every path,» one Iranian official told Reuters.
Protesters hold signs during a demonstration in Iran amid ongoing unrest, according to images released by the Iranian opposition group National Council of Resistance of Iran. (NCRI )
The Iranian American campaigner to topple the Islamic Republic, Masih Alinejad, told Fox News that Trump’s «strong message gave hope to the people of Iran.» She said after Trump’s first message of protection to the protesters, large numbers of Iranians poured into the streets. She stressed this is the first time in history that a U.S. President «is standing strongly with the people of Iran and not sending appeasement message to the killers.»
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Alinejad urged Trump to evict Iran’s representative at the U.N. and wants the White House to convince Elon Musk to provide Starlink service for internet communications. She called on President Trump to launch U.S. targeted military actions against those who ordered massacres in Iran and killed innocent people.
iran,donald trump,world protests,terrorism,elon musk
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Iranian ‘top target’ hit in $10M precision strike; US kamikaze drones used to ‘overwhelm’
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Israel struck its key target in Tehran Saturday in what a defense expert has described as a multimillion-dollar precision-guided attack alongside a broader offensive involving U.S. waves of lower-cost kamikaze drones.
Cameron Chell, CEO of drone manufacturer Draganfly, told Fox News Digital the campaign would have likely paired advanced and costly assets against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s compound, while U.S. forces used cheaper drones to «overwhelm» on land, air and sea.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) also confirmed that the drones were deployed for the first time in history.
«CENTCOM’s Task Force Scorpion Strike — for the first time in history — is using one-way attack drones in combat during Operation Epic Fury,» it said in an X post before adding that the «low-cost drones, modeled after Iran’s Shahed drones, are now delivering American-made retribution.»
«Saturday saw an overwhelming daytime attack with incredible intelligence to target the leadership and a strike on the compound possibly costing tens of millions,» Chell said.
«That would likely have included expensive, precision-strike drones or manned aircraft in highly coordinated attacks to ensure success, not necessarily the lower-cost, one-way version of the suicide drones,» he explained.
«The U.S. has this lower-cost alternative to hit everything at once, but then the very expensive, high-precision assets would likely have gone directly after leadership on Saturday,» Chell added.
A map of Western strikes against Iran (Fox News)
A senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that the compound strike was a «wildly bold daytime attack.»
«It caught the senior leadership off guard on a Saturday morning during Ramadan and on Shabbat in the daytime,» the official added.
«We hit the senior leaders right out of the gate,» the source told Fox national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin.
Iran’s military, government and intelligence sites were targeted, an official briefed on the operation also told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
A handful of top Iranian leaders were killed, including the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
AYATOLLAH’S ARSENAL VS. AMERICAN FIREPOWER: IRAN’S TOP 4 THREATS AND HOW WE FIGHT BACK
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei addresses the public on the 47th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, according to Iranian state television in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 9, 2026. (Iranian Leader Press Office/Anadolu/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump also announced Saturday that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed in the strike.
«If drones were involved in that top target attack, it would have been the very sophisticated MQ-type or Global Hawk-type drones,» Chell said.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said other attacks across the country were being done «to remove threats.»
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, those targets included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command and control centers, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and military airfields.
Chell described how those secondary targets would have been hit by the U.S. with the cheaper one-way «kamikaze» drones before adding that the strikes «seemed to be an excellent example of mass overwhelm at a new level.»
IRAN FIRES MISSILES AT US BASES ACROSS MIDDLE EAST AFTER AMERICAN STRIKES ON NUCLEAR, IRGC SITES
U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine monitors U.S. military operations in Iran after an Israeli strike in Tehran alongside several Cabinet members Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (@WhiteHouse/X)
Chell suggested Iran’s defenses were likely degraded well before the strike began because of the coordination.
«I think likely the defense systems, communication systems, were overwhelmingly compromised,» he added. «And so I think they just overwhelmed them,» he said.
«I’m sure there would have been days, if not even weeks, of work and preparation to take out those defense communication systems.
«They would have compromised those defense communications in some way through electronic warfare or cyberattack.
«The battlefield now is so multidimensional,» Chell emphasized.
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«It’s about cyber warfare, misinformation and electronic warfare as well.
«This was seemingly so swift because it was incredibly well-planned and coordinated by the U.S. and Israel on a massive level that’s not been seen before.»
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INTERNACIONAL
El turismo internacional se derrumba en Cuba, pero crece el número de visitantes argentinos: ¿qué buscan?
El turismo internacional en Cuba, una de las principales fuentes de divisas de la Revolución, se derrumba a causa del colapso energético que vive el país bajo un bloqueo de combustible dispuesto por Donald Trump. Pero paradójicamente, mientras el flujo de visitantes se desploma, cada vez más argentinos vuelan a La Habana a pesar de la recomendación de la Cancillería de no visitar la isla.
Es un fenómeno extraño que se mantiene constante en los últimos años. Si bien México es el país de la región con más viajeros a Cuba, el número de turistas mexicanos viene cayendo año a año.
Leé también: Cuba activó el modo supervivencia: no entran dólares y las familias dependen de la plata que llega del exilio
“En la última década, solo un país latinoamericano ha estado sistemáticamente por delante de Argentina y lo sigue estando: México. El país norteamericano cerró el pasado año con 56.438 turistas, más que los 49.428 argentinos. La diferencia está en la evolución: mientras los mexicanos cayeron un 21%, los argentinos subieron un 13,6%”, escribió el portal cubano 14ymedio, dirigido por la periodista disidente Yoani Sánchez.
A qué van los argentinos a Cuba
La actual crisis no cambió la tendencia. Cuba atraviesa hoy la peor emergencia social, económica y humanitaria en los 67 años de Revolución.
Sin combustible, con apagones eternos y una escasez generalizada de servicios y productos de primera necesidad, los cubanos sobreviven con lo poco que tienen y dependen en gran parte de la ayuda que llega desde el exilio a través de remesas familiares. Una imagen de archivo de Cuba (Foto: EFE)
En ese panorama desolador, los argentinos siguen viajando a la isla. A diferencia de otros turistas, como los canadienses, que viajaban a Cuba solo para disfrutar de las playas con vuelos directos a paradisíacos cayos del archipiélago, los argentinos mezclan sus intereses.
Los viajeros argentinos suelen visitar La Habana, alguna playa como Varadero, Cayo Largo o Cayo Coco y viajar a Santiago de Cuba o a la histórica ciudad de Trinidad. Desde ahí, muchos visitan la cercana Santa Clara para conocer el Mausoleo del Che. Se trata, en síntesis, de un turismo que mixtura ocio, sol, visitas urbanas y un acercamiento “político” y social a la realidad cubana.
Leé también: Cocinan de madrugada y a leña: así sobrevive una familia de Cuba en medio del apagón interminable
El flujo de visitantes argentinos se mantuvo incluso en enero pasado, tras la captura de Nicolás Maduro que inauguró una etapa crítica para la Revolución, que dependía del suministro de crudo venezolano para mantener activa su vetusta infraestructura energética.
En ese mes, México aportó 3384 turistas (casi un 8% menos que el mismo mes de 2025), la mitad que Argentina que llegó a los 7336 contra los 4057 de enero de 2025. Pero hay un dato adicional: un vuelo desde Ciudad de México a La Habana dura solo dos horas y media. Desde Buenos Aires un viaje puede superar las 16 horas porque no hay conexiones directas. Solo Copa mantiene sus vuelos vía Panamá. Latam, Andes y Aerolíneas suspendieron sus operaciones a la isla.
La caída turística es general: en enero llegaron apenas 184.833 viajeros internacionales. Pero esta cifra representa apenas una caída de 5,9% comparado con igual mes del año pasado cuando arribaron 196.004, según las estadísticas obtenidas por 14ymedio. En 2019 habían rozado el medio millón.
En 2025 la caída del turismo fue brutal. El desplome llegó al 25%. Solo llegaron 1,8 millones de turistas.
Qué está pasando con el turismo argentino a Cuba
En las oficinas de Buenos Aires de Havanatur, considerada la empresa estatal cubana líder del sector turístico, las cotizaciones de paquetes de viajes y vuelos son constantes, según dijo a TN una fuente de la empresa.
“No está bajando, aunque el año pasado había más llamados”, indicó. Imagen cotidiana en una calle de La Habana (Foto: EFE)
Pero otros operadores no son tan optimistas.
El cubano Hector Danilo Pompa, de Guajira Viajes, dijo que el turismo argentino a Cuba se mantuvo porque se habían programado vuelos directos a Cayo Largo. “Ahora se hace difícil vender un paquete porque solo llega Copa y se encarecen los tramos aéreos”, indicó.
Copa viaja desde Buenos Aires a Ciudad de Panamá y, desde allí, previa espera, se debe abordar un vuelo a La Habana.
Leé también: Nuevo golpe a Cuba: una importante minera suspenderá sus operaciones por la falta de combustible
Guajira ofrece paquetes de nueve días a La Habana/Varadero por 3170 dólares por persona y una estancia similar en Cayo Largo por 1985 dólares. Ambas opciones incluyen vuelos y traslados en la isla, pero no el seguro médico obligatorio.
Havanatur ofrece viajes de 9 días a Cayo Largo por 1559 dólares. A Varadero el mismo viaje cuesta alrededor de 1600 dólares. El precio varía según el hotel.
“Cuba está en un momento difcil de su historia, con un cambio social y politico que se avizora. Ahora viajan menos aerolíneas por falta de combustible. Hay menos hoteles. No veo que haya aumentado el flujo turístico desde la Argentina. Se mantiene porque se habían programado vuelos directos a los cayos. Hoy solo viaja a Copa. Se hace muy difícil vender un paquete a la isla”, resumió.
La situación es tan compleja que Pompa les hace firmar a los turistas que viajan a Cuba una carta de compromiso en la que la agencia de viajes no se responsabiliza por la suspensión de vuelos que puedan sufrir los viajeros. “Yo no me hago responsable”, concluyó.
En ese panorama, el flujo turístico desde la Argentina podría mermar en los próximos meses a medida que se agrava la situación en la isla.
cuba, Turismo
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President Donald Trump’s joint strikes with Israel against Iran have intensified a growing bipartisan push in Congress to rein in his war powers, with lawmakers in both parties demanding votes on resolutions aimed at limiting his authority to use military force in the region.
Members in both chambers had already planned to force votes before the first bombs fell Saturday. Now, they are doubling down on calls to restrict the president’s military authority.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., has repeatedly forced votes to curb Trump’s war powers abroad, and he was nearly successful in halting further military action in Venezuela until Republicans blocked the effort earlier this year.
President Donald Trump speaks during a breakfast with governors at the White House in Washington Feb. 20, 2026. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
Kaine had already prepped his latest resolution, co-sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., for a vote in the Senate next week. He argued Saturday that the strikes, carried out without congressional approval, further underscore why a vote should be held immediately.
«These strikes are a colossal mistake, and I pray they do not cost our sons and daughters in uniform and at embassies throughout the region their lives,» Kaine said in a statement. «The Senate should immediately return to session and vote on my War Powers Resolution to block the use of U.S. forces in hostilities against Iran.»
In the House, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., are preparing their own war powers resolution for a vote.
KENNEDY WARNS AYATOLLAH WANTS TO ‘DRINK OUR BLOOD OUT OF A BOOT’ AS IRAN TENSIONS ESCALATE
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., plans to force a vote on his war powers resolution to rein in President Donald Trump’s military action in Iran. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Massie said in a post on X that he opposed «this war. This is not ‘America First.’»
«When Congress reconvenes, I will work with [Khanna] to force a congressional vote on war with Iran,» Massie said. «The Constitution requires Congress to vote, and your representative needs to be on record as opposing or supporting this war.»
The effort has the backing of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who earlier in the week noted that the resolution would require «the president to come to Congress to make the case for using military force against Iran.»
RUBIO, RATCLIFFE TO DELIVER CLASSIFIED IRAN BRIEFING TO ‘GANG OF EIGHT’ AHEAD OF TRUMP’S STATE OF THE UNION
Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., left, and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., conduct a news conference after reviewing unredacted portions of the Jeffrey Epstein files outside a Department of Justice office Feb. 9, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
The resolution’s fate in the House remains uncertain, given that a handful of House Democrats have broken with their party and backed the administration’s strikes in Iran.
Massie and Khanna’s push may also have the support of at least one more Republican in the lower chamber.
Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, appeared ready to back their war powers resolution after news of the strikes Saturday. He reiterated a position he made earlier in the week in a post on X.
«I have asked for a classified briefing defining the mission in Iran,» Davidson said. «In the absence of new information, I will support the War Powers Resolution in the House next week.
«War requires congressional authorization,» he continued. «There are actions short of war, but no case has been made.»
Back in the Senate, the success of Kaine and Paul’s push will require Senate Republicans to cross the aisle.
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They found a short-lived bipartisan coalition earlier this year, when their resolution targeting military action in Venezuela survived a key procedural vote. The group included senators Josh Hawley, R-Mo.; Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Todd Young, R-Ind.
Both Hawley and Young later flipped their positions after assurances from the administration that there would be no boots on the ground in Venezuela and that Trump would seek congressional approval for any future military action in the region.
Whether that same standard will apply to operations in Iran remained unclear Saturday. Murkowski and Young both said they hope to receive thorough briefings in the days ahead.
«Last summer, following Operation Midnight Hammer, I supported the administration’s targeted actions in Iran after receiving a comprehensive briefing from senior officials,» Murkowski said on X.
«Events are rapidly unfolding, and I expect Congress to receive the same level of engagement so we fully understand the scope, objectives and risks of any further military action.»
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