Trump supports regime change in Iran and Israel intensifies attacks

While Tehran assures that it will respond to the US bombing "where and when it deems appropriate," Israel yesterday launched an offensive against symbols of the ayatollahs' government.

"If the current Iranian regime can't make Iran great again, why not change it?" US President Donald Trump yesterday again stepped up his bellicose rhetoric, just 24 hours after asserting that the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend "was not a declaration of war" nor did it seek a change in the Tehran government.

Now, the White House is raising this possibility if Iran doesn't surrender unconditionally. Trump already warned on Sunday that if "peace doesn't come soon, there will be bigger attacks," although yesterday he insisted he is open to a diplomatic solution.

However, negotiations do not appear to be an option for Tehran at this point. "The criminals in the United States should know that, in addition to punishing their illegitimate and aggressive offspring (referring to Israel), the hands of the warriors of Islam within the army have been freed to undertake any military action, and we will never back down in this regard," said Abdolrahim Mousavi, the new chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces.

He also called the US attack "an invasion" and emphasized that "Iran will respond decisively and proportionately at the place and time it deems appropriate." This has prompted US embassies around the world to issue alerts to their citizens abroad, especially in the Middle East, urging them to be extremely concerned.

Following Operation Midnight Hammer , as the US bombing last weekend was dubbed, Iran responded with a retaliatory airstrike against Israel using missiles and drones. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated yesterday that "there will be no peace" until his government achieves the objectives set out in this war, which is to definitively end Iran's nuclear program.

Yesterday, Israel picked up the US baton and continued its military offensive against Iran , focusing its attacks on government facilities and the most symbolic sites of the ayatollahs' regime, such as Evin Prison in Tehran. This prison is known as the detention center for political prisoners, foreigners, and dual citizens, frequently used as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West. The Israeli Ministry of Defense also confirmed attacks yesterday on Revolutionary Guard headquarters in such symbolic locations as Palestine Square.

For its part, although the United States insisted over the weekend that this was a one-off military operation, yesterday it not only defended its direct involvement in the conflict in the face of what it considers "an imminent threat," but also toughened its rhetoric, calling for regime change.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt called on the Iranian people to rise up in arms against an "incredibly violent" regime . She reflected: "If their leaders refuse to engage in a diplomatic solution, why shouldn't the people rise up against them?"

Domestically, the Iranian regime has responded with a heavy hand, according to local news agencies . At least three people have been executed for alleged collaboration with the Israeli Mossad. The international community fears an increase in repression, especially against dissidents and minorities. Meanwhile, the exiled opposition, represented by Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah , among others, has offered to lead a democratic transition. However, his legitimacy within Iran is uncertain, given the memories of authoritarianism under his father.

The possibility of "regime change" thus returned to Washington's official discourse yesterday. Trump concluded his message on social media with the acronym MIGA (Make Iran Great Again) . A direct provocation that did not go unnoticed in Tehran, nor did it go unnoticed by other governments, including Russia, who are watching the conflict from the sidelines.

From Moscow, President Vladimir Putin described the US offensive as "unprovoked aggression" and offered diplomatic and technical support to Tehran, but no military support.

Amid the chaos, the UN has called for restraint and a return to diplomatic channels, while international attention focuses on the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure by Iran could drive up the price of crude oil.

"Keep oil prices low! I'm watching! They're falling into enemy hands! Don't do it!" Trump threatened yesterday on social media, while calling on oil-producing countries to increase their capacity, as the US will do if Iran blocks the Strait.