Khamenei Rejects Trump’s ‘Locked and Loaded’ Ultimatum as Domestic Unrest Widens

HEADLINE: Khamenei Rejects Trump’s ‘Locked and Loaded’ Ultimatum as Domestic Unrest Widens

TEHRAN — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei defiantly rejected President Donald Trump’s “locked and loaded” ultimatum Sunday, declaring that the Islamic Republic “will not yield” to foreign threats even as anti-government protests pose the most significant challenge to the regime since 2022.

The sharp escalation in rhetoric has immediately spiked the region's geopolitical risk premium. By framing the domestic unrest as a foreign-backed existential threat, Tehran has effectively signaled that the window for renewed nuclear diplomacy—already virtually shut following June 2025's "12-Day War"—is now closed.

Regime Survival Mode The Supreme Leader’s comments serve as a direct rebuttal to President Trump, who warned via social media less than 48 hours prior that the U.S. military is prepared to "come to the rescue" of Iranian demonstrators should the crackdown turn violent.

The backdrop is volatile:

• Economic Collapse: Protests have erupted across multiple provinces, driven by a plummeting rial and hyperinflation.
• Fatalities: Reports confirm at least seven deaths, prompting fears of a violent crackdown reminiscent of previous uprisings.
• Historical Echoes: The exchange coincides with the anniversary of the 2020 U.S. strike that killed General Qassem Soleimani, a period historically fraught with heightened "resistance" signaling from Tehran.

The Proxy Threat Iranian officials have moved to internationalize the crisis. National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani warned Sunday that U.S. interference would trigger "chaos in the entire region."

Intelligence analysts interpret this as a credible threat to activate proxy networks, specifically in Yemen and around the Strait of Hormuz. Such a move would threaten global energy transit and potentially draw U.S. assets into a kinetic engagement, a scenario that markets are beginning to price in with increasing urgency.

Diplomacy Deadlocked For observers monitoring the region, the diplomatic track appears dead. With Khamenei framing the protests as hybrid warfare and Washington openly engaging with regime change rhetoric, the prospects for resuming nuclear talks or reaching a settlement by mid-2026 have evaporated. The strategic focus has shifted entirely from containment to the immediate survival of the Iranian leadership.