The president warns Iran must meet U.S. demands or face destruction.
By World Israel News Staff
President Donald Trump said the assassination of senior Islamic regime leaders amounts to achieving regime change in Iran — an objective that has remained unclear as a central goal of the ongoing U.S.-Israel war.
While the ouster of Iran’s Islamic regime and its replacement with one less hostile to the West was initially implied as a war aim, American and Israeli officials have since walked back that position.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump argued that the killing of senior Iranian officials — many of whom were replaced by subordinates with similar ideological views — was equivalent to regime change.
“The one regime was decimated, destroyed, they’re all dead. The next regime is mostly dead, and the third regime — we’re dealing with different people than anybody’s dealt with before… and frankly, they’ve been very reasonable,” Trump said.
“It truly is regime change… you can’t do much better than that,” he stressed.
Trump also cast doubt on the condition of Mojtaba Khamenei, whom Iranian officials insist is alive and well.
The son of longtime leader Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei is rumored to have been critically injured in the strike that killed his father in late February — claims the regime has strongly denied.
Mojtaba Khamenei “may be alive, but he’s obviously very seriously… wounded,” Trump said.
During the flight, Trump also suggested the conflict could end “soon,” pointing to ongoing negotiations with Iran.
“We’re doing extremely well” in negotiations, he said, adding that he does “see a deal in Iran.”
However, Trump was quick to add that “it’s possible that we won’t” ultimately reach an agreement.
Trump emphasized that any deal would require Iran to comply with U.S. red lines or face severe consequences.
Iran is “going to do everything that we want to do, [and] they’re going to go on and maybe have a great country again,” he said.
“But if they don’t do that, they’re not going to have a country,” he warned.