Mike Baker

President Trump also said he's canceled all meetings with Iranian officials, quote, until the senseless killing of protesters stops, effectively freezing the diplomatic track that he had previously left open.

This all comes just hours after the president announced new secondary sanctions on the regime in response to its crackdown on demonstrators.

In a Truth Social post last night, President Trump wrote, quote, Effective immediately, any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the U.S.

He called the order conclusive but offered no details on how the policy would be implemented or enforced or whether it would apply uniformly to all of Iran's trading partners.

It puts Iran's trading partners on notice, forcing them to reassess their exposure and decide whether continued trade with Tehran is worth risking access to U.S.

markets.

What happens next, of course, will depend on how Iran's leadership responds, not just to the protesters in the streets, but to the mounting pressure outside its borders.

For now, the message from Washington is clear.

The regime's options are narrowing, its partners are being forced to choose sides, and the cost of continuing their violent crackdown is rising by the hour.

And there's one other factor that Iran's leadership will be weighing carefully.

When President Trump issues public warnings like this, he has a recent track record of backing them up, often in ways that move quickly and catch adversaries off guard.

Whether that follow-through comes diplomatically, economically, or militarily remains to be seen, but the regime has a reason to take the warnings seriously.

Now,

There is no doubt that Trump's social media comments have an impact on the protesters out in the streets across Iran, particularly his talk of red lines against the regime or comments like help is on its way.

The truth is, in past years when protests have broken out in Iran, the U.S.

response has landed somewhere between tepid and non-existent.

There's been the usual declarations, of course, of support for freedom and democracy, but nothing of any substance, and the protests inevitably were put down by a repressive and violent regime that correctly interpreted that the international community would do nothing meaningful to support the protesters.

But now, this time, the protesters are feeling emboldened, both by the scope and duration of the protests,

and a White House that posts, quote, help is on its way.

A White House that just six months ago attacked the regime during the 12-day war.