As the Trump administration's attempts to agree to a lasting ceasefire with Iran drag on, it is vital that the White House not lose sight of a key objective -- one originally highlighted but then abandoned in the Iran conflict -- namely that the war result in the overthrow of Iran's brutal dictatorship.
What would be unpardonable is if US President Donald J. Trump simply replaced a brutal Islamic dictatorship with an equally brutalnon-Islamic dictatorship -- as seen in other adversaries of the West such as Russia, China, and North Korea.
From the start of the year, when Iran's security forces killedmore than 36,500civilians in attempts to crush anti-government protests, Trump had made no secret of his desire to achieve regime change in Tehran.
At the height of the violence in mid-January, Trump memorablytoldthe Iranian protesters that "HELP IS ON ITS WAY", while calling on the anti-regime activists to "seize control of your destiny."
On February 28, the US Department of Statepostedon Truth Social and X:
"PRESIDENT TRUMP's message to the great people of Iran:When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. America is backing you with overwhelming strength. Now is the time to seize control of your destiny and unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach."
As if to demonstrate his commitment to ending Iran's brutal dictatorship, one of Trump's first acts following the launch of Operation Epic Fury in late February was to authorise astrikeon the compound housing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as a number of senior regime security officials who had convened to discuss the deepening crisis with Washington.
At one point, the American president eventoldFox News that his administration had attempted to covertly arm Iranian protesters through Kurdish intermediaries based in neighbouring Iraq, claiming, "We sent guns to the protesters -- lots of them."
Trump later said the plan had failed because the Kurds had apparently decided to keep the guns for themselves.
Now, with the Iranian negotiators trying to run out the clock –- presumably until the US midterm elections in November, when Iran'smilitary-- with the recently appointedAhmad Vahidi, Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC),reportedlynow in charge -- Iran is still drawing out negotiations as itreconstructsits nuclear and missile sites.
Source: Gatestone Institute :: Articles
