Trump: Regime Change in Iran 'The Best Thing That Could Happen'

United States - Ekhbary News Agency

Trump Declares Regime Change in Iran 'The Best Thing That Could Happen'

U.S. President Donald Trump judged on Friday, February 13, that a regime change in Iran "would be the best thing that could happen," against the backdrop of difficult dialogue between Washington and Tehran regarding Iran's nuclear and ballistic capabilities. "For forty-seven years, they have talked and talked and talked. And during that time, we have lost a lot of lives," he added to journalists who questioned him about this possibility.

The American president had brandished the threat of military intervention in Iran in response to the crackdown on protests in early January, which, according to human rights NGOs, resulted in thousands of deaths. He subsequently continued to threaten Tehran to push for an agreement, particularly on the Iranian nuclear issue.

Negotiations between the two enemy countries resumed a week ago in Oman, but their continuation remains uncertain. "An agreement must be reached, otherwise it will be very traumatic" for Iran, warned Mr. Trump on Thursday, who had described the February 6 discussions as "very good." In the absence of an agreement, he said he would move to "phase two," which would be "very tough" for the Iranians. He recalled the U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear sites during the "twelve-day war" triggered by Israel in June 2025.

Following the deployment of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and its escort ships to the Gulf in January, President Trump indicated on Friday that a second aircraft carrier, the Gerald Ford, would depart "very soon" for the Middle East. The nature of the targets Washington might strike in the event of an intervention is unclear, as are the United States' intentions towards the Iranian leadership.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting the White House on Thursday, stated that he had conveyed to Mr. Trump his "skepticism about the quality of any agreement with Iran." He again advocated for taking into account his country's "security needs," for which any Iranian-American negotiation must include, in addition to the nuclear issue, the matters of Iranian ballistic missiles and Tehran's support for hostile regional armed groups.

The Secretary-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, indicated on Friday that an agreement between the IAEA and Tehran on inspections of the nuclear program was "possible," but "terribly difficult." Iran had refused in November 2025 for the IAEA to inspect its various sites that were bombed in June.

Meanwhile, the exiled son of Iran's last shah, Reza Pahlavi, who lives in the United States and has not set foot in his homeland since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, called for demonstrations on Saturday in Munich, Toronto, and Los Angeles, to demand international action against Iran. In a message posted on the social network X, he further urged Iranians inside the country to join these demonstrations by chanting slogans from their windows and rooftops on Saturday and Sunday.

On Tuesday in Tehran, on the eve of the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, Iranians had shouted slogans against the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, from their windows, according to videos broadcast on social networks and verified by Agence France-Presse (AFP). According to the U.S.-based group Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), at least 7,008 people, mostly protesters, were killed during the protests in early January, and more than 53,000 people have been arrested since. According to the NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR), hundreds of people are being prosecuted on charges related to the protests, which could lead to their death sentences.

Ekhbary News Agency