With diplomacy stalled, Trump again floats regime change in Iran
Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
At a glance
Analysis
Unnamed sources
Ongoing story
- President Donald Trump has revived calls for Iranians to overthrow their government as U.S.-Iran diplomacy remains stalled and traffic through the Strait of Hormuz stays below prewar levels.
- Trump initially called for a government takeover when the war began, later said he never cared about regime change, and has now returned to the idea.
- After three days of reciprocal strikes, Trump threatened further attacks and said he was satisfied with the current U.S. position and Iran’s collapsing economy.
“When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?” Donald Trump asked on social media Tuesday, bringing regime change back into the center of his message on Iran.
The question has privately occupied the president for months, according to people familiar with the matter. Trump had expected protests to erupt in Tehran after Israel launched an intensive round of strikes, an outcome he appeared to believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had made likely. Other U.S. officials, citing intelligence assessments that questioned that prospect, debated the issue before the first strikes began.
When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?
Trump opened the conflict in late February by urging Iranians to take what he called their only chance for generations to topple their government. The idea soon disappeared as attention shifted to negotiations with Iran and the effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. By June, Trump said he had “never cared about regime change” and claimed he was negotiating with “very rational people.” He also said U.S. attempts to oust foreign governments never worked.
Despite those comments, people familiar with the matter said Trump continued to question why his calls for an overthrow had not produced a response. With shipping through the strait still below prewar levels and diplomacy at a standstill, he has returned to the position with which the war began.
never cared about regime change
The shift comes after a month of relative calm ended in three consecutive days of U.S. and Iranian strikes. Trump said Wednesday that he could order an even larger attack if necessary. “It was a very heavy attack last night and we’re prepared to do another one any time we want,” he said, while also predicting that the renewed fighting would not last long.
It was a very heavy attack last night and we’re prepared to do another one any time we want.
There are no substantive efforts to resume diplomacy after Trump ordered his envoys to stop discussions with Iran last month, officials said. The president has said he is satisfied with the conflict’s current position. “I like our position now,” he wrote, citing what he described as almost total control of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s collapsing economy.
Some people around Trump would prefer the conflict to fade from political discussion as voters prepare to decide control of Congress in the next two months.
I like our position now
About this summary
Originally published by Egypt Independent in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
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