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Multiple US lawmakers are renewing calls for the United States to take a more aggressive stance against Iran’s regime as President Trump signals that time is running out for Iranian officials to negotiate a deal with the US.

Getting into it: Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) has been one of the most vocal proponents of increased US involvement, calling directly for the arming of Iranian protesters. “We should be arming the protesters in Iran. NOW,” Cruz wrote on X. He argued that helping the Iranian people overthrow “the Ayatollah—a tyrant who routinely chants ‘death to America’—would make America much, much safer.” Cruz’s remarks came in response to reports of brutal crackdowns in Tehran, where thousands of demonstrators were reportedly killed during widespread protests against the regime.

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has issued a warning to Iran, stating that failure to comply with US demands, including halting nuclear enrichment and ending support for regional proxy groups, could lead to a military strike. “If you hang those people, you’re going to be hit harder than you’ve ever been hit,” Trump reportedly told Iranian envoys, referring to the thousands of protesters threatened with execution. He has described the Iranian regime as being in its “most vulnerable position in decades” and stressed the urgency of regime change, likening the current buildup of US forces in the region to previous rapid strike operations in Venezuela.

Representative Brian Babin (R-TX) expressed confidence in Trump’s strategy and advocated for decisive military action. “I trust President Trump, I trust our military,” Babin said. “It is time for a regime change… He means what he says, and he says what he means in plain English.” Echoing this sentiment, Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA) stated, “Iran is the center of terrorism… if you don’t think I would be for strategically bombing the leadership of the dictatorship that runs Iran, you would be mistaken.”

Other lawmakers have struck a more cautious tone. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) said that while military force should be considered, it must remain a last resort. “We need to actually understand the dynamics of why it would require military intervention,” she said. Meanwhile, Rep. Mark Messmer (R-IN) stressed that the momentum for change must ultimately come from within Iran, adding that “foreign intervention and costly overseas wars have been borne out to be pretty ineffective in the long run.”