Amid assessments that the US military is preparing for possible strikes on Iran in the coming days, President Donald Trump said overnight Wednesday into Thursday that the regime in Tehran could fall as a result of protests, but added that “any regime can fail.” He said, “Whether or not it falls or not, it's going to be an interesting period of time.”
In an interview with Reuters, Trump also addressed Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s exiled crown prince and the son of the last shah, who is seen by many as a potential leader of the protest movement. Trump cast doubt on his ability to take power in Iran. “He seems very nice, but I don't know how he'd play within his own country,” Trump said. “And we really aren't up to that point yet. I don't know whether or not his country would accept his leadership, and certainly if they would, that would be fine with me.”
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NBC News reported meanwhile that Trump told his national security team he wants any military action in Iran to deliver a “swift and decisive” blow to the regime and not ignite a prolonged conflict lasting weeks or months. The report cited a US official, two people familiar with the discussions and a person close to the White House. “If he does something, he wants it to be definitive,” one person familiar with the talks said.
However, three of the sources said Trump’s advisers have not yet been able to assure him that the Iranian regime would quickly collapse following a military strike. There is also concern that the United States currently lacks all the necessary means in the region to defend against an aggressive Iranian response, which administration officials say is expected.
According to two of the sources, those circumstances could lead Trump to approve a more limited US military move against Iran, at least initially, while preserving the option of escalation, if he decides to take military action at all. They said the situation is developing rapidly and that as of Wednesday afternoon US time, no decisions had been made.
During a visit to Detroit earlier this week, Trump told Iranian protesters that “help is on the way” and described the situation in the country as “fragile.” On Wednesday, he told reporters he had learned that the regime had stopped killing protesters and halted plans for executions, steps he said could have prompted a US military response. “We were informed by very important sources on the other side that the killing has stopped and that the executions will not take place. I hope that’s true. Who knows?” he said. Asked whether that meant military action was off the table, Trump replied, “We are going to watch what the process is.”
The four sources who spoke with NBC said Trump is prepared to stand by his repeated promises to Iranian protesters that the United States would intervene militarily to support them and their efforts to topple the regime. They said that on Tuesday, Trump presented his objectives for any US military action against Iran to his national security team and that the Pentagon tailored options accordingly. Those options were expected to be presented to Trump on Wednesday.
A White House official said “all options are on the table for President Trump to address the situation in Iran,” adding that US military actions in Iran last year and in Venezuela this month demonstrate that the president “means what he says.”
Another White House official said Trump joined a meeting on Iran Tuesday afternoon, led by Vice President JD Vance, after returning from Michigan. Trump received briefings that included updated assessments of the number of protesters killed in Iran and asked for additional information, the official said.
According to the NBC report, US Central Command prepared military options for Trump that have been presented to him in recent days and have since been updated and refined. The developments followed a series of meetings on Iran this week, including hours-long discussions at the White House on Tuesday aimed at defining US military objectives in the event of a strike on Iran and assessing the Islamic Republic’s potential response.
According to four sources, one of the concerns raised in the discussions was that a weakened Iranian regime, after weeks of protests across the country and under threat of collapse, could respond far more aggressively against US forces in the region and Washington’s allies, including Israel.
When Iran responded in June by striking the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar after the United States attacked its nuclear facilities in Operation Midnight Hammer, the US administration received advance warning and American forces were not harmed. On Wednesday, hundreds of US troops left the base for a safer location in case US action triggers an Iranian response. “Washington is taking additional precautionary steps across the region to protect troops, civilians and their families,” US officials said.
The US military has not deployed additional forces or assets to the region for a large-scale operation against Iran, as it did ahead of Operation Midnight Hammer. However, the United States has aircraft, naval vessels and personnel in the region capable of carrying out targeted or limited strikes on Iran.