Key points
- US military struck three nuclear sites in Iran early Sunday
- “Operation Midnight Hammer” was met with no Iranian resistance
- It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change’: Trump
ISLAMABAD: In contrast to what his administration said earlier that regime change in Iran was not the goal, US president Donald seemed open to a change of government in the Islamic Republic.
He called into question the future of Iran’s ruling theocracy after a surprise attack on three of the country’s nuclear sites.
“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 posted on social media. “MIGA!!!”
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth repeated on Sunday morning that regime change in Iran was not on the cards.
Contradiction
“This mission was not and has not been about regime change,” Hegseth said.
AP reported what the administration has made clear is that it wants Iran to stop any development of nuclear weapons, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio warning on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that any retaliation against the US or a rush toward building a nuclear weapon would “put the regime at risk.”
But beyond that, the world is awash in uncertainty at a fragile moment that could decide whether parts of the globe tip into war or find a way to salvage a relative peace. Trump’s warning to Iran’s leadership comes as the US has demanded that Iran not respond to the bombardment of the heart of a nuclear program that it spent decades developing.
