TRUMP SAYS TOPPLING IRAN REGIME WOULD BE ‘BEST THING’
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Agency Report
US President Donald Trump said Friday that a change of government in Iran would be the “best thing that could happen,” as he deployed a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to increase military pressure on Tehran.
Trump’s remarks marked his most explicit call yet for the toppling of Iran’s clerical leadership, as he continues to push Washington’s long-standing rival to negotiate limits on its nuclear program.
At the same time, Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, renewed his appeal for international intervention following Tehran’s violent crackdown on protests.
“Seems like that would be the best thing that could happen,” Trump told reporters at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, when asked about “regime change” in Iran.
Trump did not specify who he would support to succeed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, but added vaguely that “there are people.” He has previously softened his calls for regime change, warning that removing the clerical leadership could create instability, though he has previously issued threats toward Khamenei.
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Earlier, Trump said the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, would be “leaving very soon” for the Middle East to pressure Iran. “In case we don’t make a deal, we’ll need it,” he said. The vessel is currently in the Caribbean following US intervention in Venezuela. Another carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, is already among 12 US ships in the region.
Following last month’s Iranian protests—which rights groups say killed thousands—Trump initially declared the US “locked and loaded” to support demonstrators. Recently, his focus has shifted to threats against Iran’s nuclear program, which US forces targeted last July during Israel’s 12-day war with Tehran.
The protests have now subsided, but Reza Pahlavi has called for international humanitarian intervention to protect civilians. “We are asking for a humanitarian intervention to prevent more innocent lives being killed in the process,” he told the Munich Security Conference, urging Iranians at home and abroad to continue demonstrations.
AFP-verified videos showed continued anti-government chants in Iran as the clerical leadership marked the Islamic Revolution anniversary.
Iran and the United States, which have had no diplomatic relations since shortly after the 1979 revolution, held nuclear talks last week in Oman, though no new dates have been set. Western officials remain concerned that Iran’s nuclear program is aimed at producing a bomb, which Tehran denies. UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi described a potential agreement on inspections as “terribly difficult.”
Trump recently met with Benjamin Netanyahu and expressed a desire to continue talks with Iran, despite Netanyahu’s push for a tougher approach. The Israeli prime minister cautioned that any deal should also address Iran’s ballistic missile program and regional proxy activities.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 7,008 people—mostly protesters—were killed in the recent crackdown, with over 53,000 arrests reported. The Norway-based Iran Human Rights NGO stated that hundreds now face charges that could carry the death penalty.
Three reformist politicians—Azar Mansouri, Javad Emam, and Ebrahim Asgharzadeh—were recently arrested but released on bail, according to their lawyer. These figures are aligned with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s reformist wing.
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