Trump muses about regime change in Iran after US strikes
US president’s social media post contradicts statements by figures in his administration, including Vance and Hegseth
US President Donald Trump on Sunday signalled support for a change in leadership in Iran, hours after his officials said that the US operation targeting Iranian nuclear facilities overnight was not about a regime change in Tehran.
“It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???” Trump stated on his Truth Social platform.
Earlier on Sunday, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told journalists at the Pentagon that the overnight strike on the nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow was carried out to eliminate the threat to US interests posed by Iran’s nuclear programme, not to bring about regime change in Tehran.
“The president authorised a precision operation to neutralise the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear programme and the collective self-defence of our troops and our ally Israel,” Hegseth said.
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US Vice-President J.D. Vance also emphasised that Iran’s nuclear programme was the target. “We are not at war with Iran, we are at war with Iran’s nuclear programme,” he told NBC on Sunday.