“They’re starting to, it looks like, and there seem to be some people killed that aren’t supposed to be killed.”

That’s President Trump aboard Air Force One Sunday, answering whether Iran has crossed the threshold that would trigger an American response.

The answer wasn’t no. It wasn’t not yet. It was “starting to.”

The mullahs should be paying very close attention to that phrasing.

544 Dead. 10,600 Detained. 190 Cities.

The scale of Iran’s crackdown is staggering — and growing.

Activists report at least 544 people killed in just over two weeks of protests. More than 10,600 have been detained. Demonstrations have spread to at least 190 cities across the country.

The regime has imposed a sweeping internet blackout, cutting Iran off from the outside world. They’re operating in deliberate darkness, hoping nobody sees what they’re doing to their own people.

Trump is seeing it anyway. He told reporters he receives hourly briefings.

“Some protesters were killed in a stampede while others were shot,” he said. The details are reaching him in real time.

“These Are Violent — If You Call Them Leaders”

Trump didn’t mince words about the Iranian regime.

“These are violent — if you call them leaders, I don’t know if they’re leaders or just if they rule through violence.”

It’s a pointed distinction. Leaders derive authority from consent. Rulers who maintain power only through killing their own citizens aren’t governing — they’re occupying.

The mullahs have chosen violence over accommodation. Every protester shot, every family threatened, every city under lockdown is a choice to maintain power through fear rather than earn it through performance.

Trump is signaling he sees them for what they are.

“Very Strong Options”

When asked what the U.S. might do, Trump confirmed his administration is weighing significant responses.

“We’re looking at some very strong options. We’ll make a determination.”

He’s been more specific in previous days, mentioning cyberattacks and direct strikes — potentially by the U.S. or Israel. The military is “looking at it,” he’s said.

Sunday’s comments added clarity on what the response won’t include.

“That doesn’t mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very, very hard where it hurts.”

No ground invasion. But potentially devastating strikes against regime assets, military infrastructure, or economic targets.

“Iran’s in Big Trouble”

Trump’s assessment of the regime’s position was blunt.

“Iran’s in big trouble. It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago.”

Cities falling to protesters. Territory slipping from regime control. A population that’s lost its fear.

This is what regime collapse looks like in the early stages. Not a sudden overthrow, but a gradual loss of authority as the government proves unable to maintain order without massacring its own people.

The mullahs face an impossible choice: kill enough protesters to restore control and guarantee international intervention, or show weakness and watch their authority crumble.

Iran Threatens Retaliation

Tehran isn’t backing down publicly.

The regime warned that the U.S. military and Israel would be considered “legitimate targets” if America intervenes to protect demonstrators.

It’s the same threat they’ve made for 45 years. Death to America. Death to Israel. The Great Satan will be destroyed.

But threats only work when the other side believes you can follow through. Iran’s military is stretched thin suppressing domestic unrest. Their proxies have been degraded across the region. Their economy is in freefall.

Threatening the United States while your own cities are in revolt isn’t strength. It’s desperation.

The Exiled Prince Sees Collapse

Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi — son of the last Shah, exiled since the 1979 revolution — told reporters the regime is “very close to collapsing.”

Protesters have been spotted carrying his picture in Tehran. The monarchy that was overthrown 47 years ago is suddenly relevant again, if only as a symbol of what Iran was before the mullahs.

Whether Pahlavi could actually lead a post-revolutionary Iran is unclear. But his assessment of the regime’s fragility aligns with what Trump is seeing in his hourly briefings.

The Internet Blackout Tells the Story

Regimes don’t shut down the internet when they’re winning.

Iran’s nationwide blackout is an admission that the regime can’t survive if its people can communicate with each other and the outside world. They’re trying to fight the uprising in the dark, hoping isolation prevents coordination.

It won’t work. Protesters are still gathering. Information is still leaking out. The 544 dead are being counted despite the blackout.

And Trump is watching.

What “Hitting Them Hard” Might Mean

Trump ruled out ground troops but promised devastating consequences.

The options include:

Cyberattacks that could cripple Iran’s already damaged infrastructure — power grids, financial systems, military communications.

Strikes on Revolutionary Guard facilities, naval assets, or missile sites — potentially conducted by Israel with American support.

Economic measures that further strangle the regime’s ability to fund its security apparatus.

Support for protesters — communications equipment, intelligence sharing, or other assistance that helps them organize.

Any combination of these could accelerate the regime’s collapse without requiring American soldiers on Iranian soil.

The Red Line Question

Trump was asked directly whether Iran had crossed a threshold.

His answer — “starting to” — suggests he’s watching specific metrics. Civilian deaths. Violence against protesters. Threats against American interests.

Cross the line, and consequences follow. The regime has been warned.

Hourly Briefings, Careful Decisions

Trump emphasized he’s receiving constant updates and will decide based on what he sees.

“We’ll make a determination.”

That’s not a president rushing to war. That’s a president building a case, documenting atrocities, preparing justification for whatever action he ultimately takes.

When Trump acts — and his language suggests action is coming — he’ll have receipts. Every death, every arrest, every regime threat will be part of the record.

45 Years of “Death to America” Might Be Ending

The Islamic Republic has survived since 1979 by suppressing dissent, exporting terrorism, and betting that America would never follow through on threats.

Trump isn’t bluffing. He proved that in Venezuela.

The mullahs built their regime on hatred of America. They might die on that hill too.

544 protesters already have. The question is how many more the regime will kill before Trump decides they’ve crossed his red line.

Based on Sunday’s comments, that number isn’t very high.