President Donald Trump reignited talk of potential regime change in Iran on Tuesday night, publicly questioning when Iranians would “rise up and fight” as his administration ramps up military and economic pressure on a government U.S. officials describe as increasingly fragile.

“I’m not trying to force Iran to the bargaining table,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday. “I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing.”

“They are just playing out the inevitable,” Trump continued. “When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?”

Trump expanded on the comments Wednesday after Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked whether he would deploy the CIA to arm Iranians if his goal was for them to “rise up and fight.”

“I’d love to tell you that, but it wouldn’t be appropriate to say,” Trump responded from the Oval Office.

Trump said he understood why Iranians have not risen in larger numbers, arguing that protesters face deadly repression from the government. 

“Most people can’t kill their own people like that. Most people try and reason when they talk. And then there might be an overthrow. In Iran, they kill people. … They shoot them right between the eyes. They have two forms: machine guns and snipers. … They like the snipers better because all they do is have a crowd of 200,000 people, and a person goes down here right between the eyes, and they’ll have three snipers doing it. And, it’s a horrible thing to watch,” he said. 

“So that’s why it’s not happening,” the president added, “And who can blame them? Who can blame them? But the regime is getting weaker by the day… And at some point, they’re not going to be able to shoot so easily because I think the people aren’t going to take it,” Trump said. “But I did pose that question because, you know, it would be time.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described Iran as being in a “death spiral” during remarks Monday, arguing that economic pressure was rapidly narrowing the government’s options.

“They are panicked. They are resorting to kinetic because they are getting squeezed economically,” Bessent told Ed Lawrence on Fox Business.

Bessent said Iran could eventually face one of three outcomes: “Either the IRGC are going to turn on each other, the people are going to turn on them, or they are going to come to the table and want to do a deal that they can stick with.”

“They are in the death throes,” he added, comparing Iran’s deterioration to bankruptcy occurring “slowly, then quickly.”

Miad Maleki, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former Treasury sanctions official, told News Media that Washington does not need to choose between invading Iran to overthrow the government and striking another agreement with Tehran.

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“It’s very clear U.S. government is not in the business of regime change anymore,” Maleki said. “And I think it’s very clear that we’re not going to have boots on the ground to invade Iran. And I don’t think we need that.”

Instead, Maleki argued Washington should “contain this regime, cut off its economic lifelines, empower the Iranian people” and prepare for another wave of demonstrations inside Iran.

“We need to be prepared to support the Iranian people in a way that they can be empowered and take the government back,” he said, stressing the importance of ensuring protesters maintain access to the internet so they can communicate, mobilize and make their voices heard.

Maleki described Iran’s leadership as the weakest it has been since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and argued that further Iranian military escalation could deepen its vulnerability rather than restore lost leverage.

The debate comes as reports of localized economic protests continue to emerge from inside Iran.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran, an exiled Iranian opposition coalition, said Tuesday that workers, retirees, drivers and job-seeking young people demonstrated in several cities on Aug. 31. The group alleged security forces opened fire on job seekers in Gachsaran and Ahvaz and reported separate demonstrations over unpaid wages, inflation, fuel shortages and working conditions. Those specific claims have not been independently verified by News Media.

Iran analyst Benny Sabti also told News Media that deteriorating living conditions could become a catalyst for broader unrest. “People are hungry,” Sabti said, predicting Iranians would “take the streets again.”

“Hunger is humiliating,” he said, arguing that economic desperation could eventually outweigh fear of the government’s security apparatus.

The political stakes are rising alongside a dramatic military escalation. US forces carried out another wave of strikes Tuesday against Iranian air-defense systems, radar installations, maritime assets and mine-laying capabilities, according to US Central Command, while Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks against US assets across the region.

For Trump, however, Tuesday night’s post suggested the question may no longer be only whether economic pressure brings Tehran back to negotiations — but what happens inside Iran if it does not.

Aryna Sabalenka showed clear frustration on Wednesday when she pushed back at a question from an award-winning New York Times sports reporter after her latest win at the US Open.

The exchange came after Sabalenka cruised through her second-round match, defeating Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1. During her post-match media session, Matthew Futterman asked about how she was balancing her mindset with recent sponsorship commitments ahead of the 2026 tournament.

‘How are you finding your mood now that the tournament has started?’ asked Futterman, who now writes for The Athletic, the sports website owned by The New York Times. ‘Obviously last week it’s lots of parties and fun and stuff like that.’

Sabalenka, the two-time reigning US Open champion, did not appear to appreciate the framing of the question.

‘You guys are like a joke,’ she replied. ‘Parties? Fun? Why would you even say that? Why would you even think about that? Like, what kind of question is that? Just because I posted some activities with brands and you think that I’ve been partying?’

Futterman quickly tried to explain that he wasn’t suggesting she was partying (‘I’m saying there are a lot of events and things like that’), but Sabalenka disagreed.

‘You literally said that,’ she said.

Futterman then pleaded his case to the fellow reporters on hand at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center: ‘For everyone who’s unclear, I’m not suggesting that Aryna is having fun at these parties. I’m saying she makes a lot of appearances and there’s a lot to do.’

Again, Sabalenka was unimpressed and simply responded by saying ‘OK’.

Still not defeated, Futterman made one final attempt to ask Sabalenka about her transition from celebrity endorser back into athlete-mode.

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‘Now that the tournaments started, do you find you’re getting quite serious and combative?’ he asked.

‘Oh yeah, I wasn’t serious before that,’ she said. ‘Next question.’

And just in case she hadn’t made herself clear, Sabalenka added one last dig: ‘Think before you say stuff.’

The Daily Mail has sought further comment from Futterman. 

Next up for Sabalenka is Kamilla Rakhimova in the third round on Friday in Queens. 

Wednesday’s exchange followed what had been a successful day for Sabalenka, who has faced criticism from trolls over her choice of Nike-designed outfits in the tournament.

The world No1 has turned heads at Flushing Meadows after wearing a black basketball-inspired ensemble that left her electric orange sports bra and matching briefs completely exposed during the mixed doubles.

The two-time reigning singles champion then donned a similar outfit in Queens on Monday, only this time completely in bright orange, when she beat Camila Osorio 6-4, 6-4 to begin her 2026 run in Flushing.

But for her second round match on Arthur Ashe on Wednesday, Sabalenka returned to the court in a black ensemble. However this time, her sports bra and matching briefs were also black.

After Monday night’s eye-catching orange look, Sabalenka explained the change was because sponsor Nike actually developed day and night versions of the outfit for her to wear during the tournament.

‘To be honest, I didn’t know that I have a day dress,’ she said. ‘I thought I have a black dress with orange underneath. I figured [out] when I went to Nike that I actually have day session and night session, which is just like black and orange for the day.’

Tennis fans were quick to slam the risque outfit that Sabalenka wore during the mixed doubles event with Djokovic, although she did not back down from criticism.

‘Who cares what people think?’ she told reporters at Flushing Meadows on Friday’s media day, adding: ‘I love it.’