US President Donald Trump has declared that a change of government in Iran “would be the best thing that could happen,” in one of his clearest endorsements yet of regime change as Washington increases military and diplomatic pressure on Tehran.
Trump made the remarks while speaking to reporters after an event with US troops at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where he was asked directly whether he wanted regime change in Iran. “It seems like that would be the best thing that could happen,” he replied, describing Iran’s clerical rulers as having spent “47 years… talking and talking” while conflicts in the region claimed lives and left US soldiers with “legs blown [and] arms [and] faces off.”
Although he stopped short of naming a preferred successor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Trump hinted that alternative leadership was available, saying “there are people” who could take charge in Tehran. His comments mark a shift from previous moments when he publicly backed away from explicitly calling for the overthrow of Iran’s government, warning at times that such a move could trigger chaos even as he continued to threaten its leadership.
The president’s remarks come as his administration deploys a second US aircraft carrier group to the Middle East and steadily increases its military footprint around Iran. Officials say the buildup is intended to strengthen Washington’s leverage in nuclear talks and keep open the option of strikes on Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure if diplomacy fails.
For now, Trump insists he still prefers a negotiated agreement that would force Iran to scale back not only its nuclear activities but also its ballistic missile programme and support for armed groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas. He has warned, however, that if Tehran does not “give us a deal that they should have given us the first time,” the alternative will be “very traumatic” for Iran, language that US officials and regional analysts read as a renewed threat of military action.
Iranian leaders have repeatedly rejected foreign calls for regime change, insisting their nuclear programme is peaceful and warning that any US or Israeli attack would risk plunging the wider Middle East into war. As US forces and assets continue to mass in the region, diplomats and analysts warn that miscalculation on either side could quickly turn Trump’s increasingly blunt talk about regime change into a far broader and more dangerous confrontation.
