Trump pushes Iran regime change rhetoric, administration contradicts

Today 02:19

President Trump raises the prospect of regime change in Iran via Truth Social, diverging from current US policy, as tensions rise following joint attacks with "Israel" on Iran.

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President Donald Trump speaks from the East Room of the White House in Washington, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP)

US President Donald Trump, after launching attacks on three Iranian nuclear facilities, is now tabling the possibility of a regime change in Iran.

In a post on his social platform, Truth Social, Trump said, "It's not politically accurate 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??? MIGA!!!"

Leave it to Donald Trump to summarize the sociopathic war criminal mind in a Truth Social post.

It is all about regime change against Iran. Period. Straight from the horses mouth. pic.twitter.com/1c2j3VvFmE
— Danny Haiphong (@GeopoliticsDH) June 22, 2025

According to Axios, this marks the first time Trump has explicitly raised the idea of regime change in Iran since "Israel" launched its aggression ten days ago. The president’s remarks come after the US directly joined "Israel" in a coordinated strike targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure over the weekend.

While Trump has long criticized the neo-conservative wing of the Republican Party for its foreign interventionist policies, including regime change efforts in the Middle East, his Sunday post suggests a significant rhetorical shift.

In-House contradictions

Despite Trump’s statement, the US administration has long claimed that its objective is not to pursue regime change in Iran, but to curb its nuclear activity and de-escalate regional conflict.

According to Politico, Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, and J.D. Vance spent the majority of Sunday insisting that the US does not seek to change the current Iranian leadership, before Trump released his Truth Social post.

Speaking on NBC’s Meet The Press on Sunday, Vice President Vance reiterated the administration's stance, claiming, “We do not want to protract this or build this out any more than it's already been built out. We want to end their nuclear program, and then we want to talk to the Iranians about a long-term settlement here.”

He emphasized that the administration’s position has been clear, opposing regime change and advocating for a diplomatic resolution.

Meanwhile, pro-interventionist officials, namely Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz, have been calling for US military involvement in the war on Iran, as well as the removal of the current Iranian regime.

#US Senator #TedCruz wants regime change in Iran, but can't name its population, gets basic facts wrong, and backtracks live on air. #TuckerCarlson presses him: “You don’t know the population of the country you seek to topple?”

Cruz then said, “We’re carrying out military… pic.twitter.com/OKITTKDtNc
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 18, 2025