American power can make itself known in various ways, as Teddy Roosevelt brilliantly outlined with his famous admonition to “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

Truth be told, Donald Trump has never been a fan of speaking softly, but his Tuesday comments on the upheavals in Iran still managed to be close enough for now.

In an extraordinary post on Truth Social addressed to “Iranian Patriots,” the president urged them to “KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!””

He followed with what looks like a promise to use the Big Stick, by saying “Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price.”

He added that he had canceled all meetings with regime leaders “until the slaughter stops,” and ended with a flourish by writing that “HELP IS ON ITS WAY.”

Ah, but what kind of help and when will the Big Stick swing into action? The lack of specifics is intentional because it allows the president to ramp up the pressure while retaining the flexibility to negotiate and unleash the military if all else fails.

As such, the post can be read as a final warning, one that comes in response to reports that the mad mullahs had changed their ground tactics — with very bloody results.

“Shoot to kill” orders were said to have resulted in more deaths, with a total of some 3,000 civilians reportedly killed by government forces. Media accounts of witnesses said the troops were now under orders to execute unarmed protesters and to fire on random civilians on the streets, even those not protesting.

The dramatic increase in the use of force clearly prompted Trump to change his tone and add his Tuesday threat of possible military action.

His language marked a hawkish departure from........

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