US President Donald Trump, who earlier urged Iranians to rise up against their government, has now acknowledged the challenges of a potential regime change.
Speaking to Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, Trump said the move would pose a “very big hurdle” for Iranians as they don’t possess weapons.
The POTUS’ remarks came as his administration reportedly dispatched some 2,200 Marines on three navy ships to the Middle East, indicating a potential further escalation of the Iran war, Times of Israel reported.
What has Trump said about Iranian regime change?
In the interview, Trump did assert that while a regime change in Iran will become an eventual reality, it may not happen immediately.
Early in the campaign, Trump framed the US strikes on Iran as a way to defend America and eliminate threats from Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, while also saying he wanted “freedom for the Iranian people.” He had publicly urged Iranians to “take back” their country from the ruling leadership, which analysts interpreted as an implicit call for regime change, according to The Washington Post.
However, US Democratic Senator Chris Murphy later said the primary focus of the war is not regime change or the dismantling of the nuclear weapons program.
Trump’s administration has reportedly assessed that Iran’s leadership is still largely intact and is not at risk of collapse any time soon after nearly two weeks of US and Israeli bombardment.
Iran’s supreme leader’s fate is unknown
The condition of Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is currently unknown. Asked about the fate of Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Trump told Fox News: “I think he’s damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form.”
Khamenei has not been seen in public since he was selected to replace his father. He was reportedly wounded in the war’s opening strikes.
The US has also offered a bounty of up to $10 million for information on Mojtaba Khamenei and other top Iranian officials.