The White House says President Donald Trump is not afraid to use military force against Iran. But experts say the US has few real options to help Iran’s protest movement. Past US interventions in the region have not been successful. Trump praised military action after Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro was captured. Yet, for Iran, no military forces have been positioned for an attack. US military presence in the Middle East has dropped recently. Since October, no US aircraft carriers have been in the area—they moved USS Gerald R Ford to the Caribbean and USS Nimitz to the US west coast. This limits options for strikes, which would need to come from allied airbases in countries like Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, or possibly the UK base in Cyprus. Iranian leaders have threatened to hit US bases and ships if attacked. Iran’s missile forces remain capable with an estimated 2,000 heavy ballistic missiles. Targeting military or civilian sites risks wrong hits and harming innocent people. Attacks could also strengthen the regime by stirring nationalism, given US history of meddling since 1953. Roxane Farmanfarmaian from the Royal United Services Institute says, “There is a clearly a cohesive government and military and security service in Iran. The government is showing it doesn’t have any red lines: it is going to secure its borders and streets, and the extraordinary number of body bags reveals its determination to do so.” Killing Iran’s top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is easier militarily than capturing him but would greatly escalate the conflict and could cause a bigger war. Israel tried but failed during a recent 12-day war. Iran has planned for leader replacement. Experts say the Revolutionary Guards would likely take over instead. US strikes, like those by Israel that killed dozens of Iranian military leaders, have not toppled the regime. Trump has already ruled out “boots on the ground.” With military action difficult, cyberattacks are considered. Trump claimed power was shut off in Venezuela aiding Maduro’s capture. Experts say turning off power or services in Iran would mostly hurt civilians. Restoring the internet or defeating Iranian jamming to bring in Starlink satellite internet are possible moves but not true cyber warfare and likely won’t stop killings. In sum, US options to aid Iranian protesters or force regime change are very limited. Military strikes carry big risks and uncertain effects. Cyber efforts may not be enough. What Trump promised as “help is on its way” faces harsh realities.