Trump, Reversing an Earlier Reticence, Signals Support for Regime Change in Iran
The president has convened his top aides to contemplate action to help Iranian protesters.
President Trump, in a major policy shift, is encouraging Iranians to change their regime and pledging American help in their endeavor.
âIranian patriots, keep protesting â take over your institutions,â Mr. Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Tuesday morning. âSave the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have canceled all meetings with Iranian officials until the senseless killing of protesters stops. Help is on the way. MIGA.â
Earlier this week Mr. Trump said he would set up meetings with officials of the Islamic Republic. Axios reported that the regimeâs foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, contacted the presidentâs special envoy, Steven Witkoff, appealing for a meeting. On Sunday, Mr. Trump said America might need to âactâ before any such talks can proceed.
Mr. Trump is reportedly scheduled to convene top aides â acting national security adviser Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Dan Caine â later on Tuesday. The meeting will reportedly include discussion of possible military strikes in Iran.
Separately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to convene his cabinet on Tuesday night at Tel Aviv to contemplate issues facing Israel and the region.
âIâm not interested in regime change,â Mr. Trump said recently. His about face, promising the Iranian protesters that help is âon the way,â reflects growing assessments in American and Israeli intelligence circles that the Islamic Republicâs regime could be on its last legs.
To date, Washington has refrained from putting its weight behind an alternative leadership to the mullahs. Instead, Mr. Trump is merely tweaking his MAGA slogan, promising to Make Iran Great Again. In the aftermath of a possible fall of the regime, though, America and other countries could face a chaotic transition, which might necessitate outside intervention.
For now, though, Washington has little choice other than to address appalling reports from Iran, and do so quickly.
On Tuesday an anti-regime website, Iran International, reported that up to 12,000 protesters have been killed in the last two weeks. Thousands have been arrested and Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei is reportedly threatening that on Wednesday the regime will start killing all anti-regime protesters in custody.
