Trump signals openness to Iran regime change
White House deliver conflicting messages after U.S. struck nuclear sites in Iran
The Trump administration on Sunday sent a series of conflicting messages to Iran, with U.S. officials indicating a willingness to resume negotiations after a surprise attack on three of the country's nuclear sites followed by President Donald Trump talking up the possibility of regime change.
"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 Sunday afternoon. "MIGA!!!"
The posting on Truth Social marked something of a reversal from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's morning news conference that detailed the aerial bombing.
"This mission was not and has not been about regime change," Hegseth said.
The Trump administration has issued intimidating statements alongside calls to restart negotiations, making it hard to get a read on whether the U.S. president is simply taunting an adversary or using inflammatory words that could further widen the war between Israel and Iran.
Up until the U.S. president's post on Sunday afternoon, co-ordinated messaging by top officials including the vice-president, Pentagon chief, top military adviser and secretary of state suggested a confidence that any fallout would be manageable and that Iran's lack of military capabilities would ultimately force it back to the bargaining table.
Hegseth had said that America "does not seek war" with Iran, while Vice-President JD Vance said the strikes have given Tehran the possibility of returning to negotiate with Washington.
But the unfolding situation is not entirely under Washington's control, as Tehran has a series of levers to respond to the aerial bombings that could intensify the conflict in the Middle East with possible global repercussions. Iran can block oil being shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, attack U.S. bases in the region, engage in cyber attacks or double down on its nuclear program.
All of that raises the question of whether the strikes will open up a far more brutal phase of fighting or revive negotiations out of an abundance of caution. Inside the U.S., the attack quickly spilled over into domestic politics with Trump choosing to spend part of his Sunday going after his critics in Congress.
Trump, who had addressed the nation from the White House on Saturday night, returned to social media on Sunday to lambaste Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky who had objected to the president taking military action without specific congressional approval.
"We had a spectacular military success yesterday, taking the `bomb' right out of their hands (and they would use it if they could!)" Trump said as part of the post on Truth Social.
'Extremely severe damage and destruction'
At their joint Pentagon briefing on Sunday, Hegseth and Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said "Operation Midnight Hammer" involved decoys and deception, and met with no Iranian resistance.
Caine indicated that the goal of the operation — destroying nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan — had been achieved.
"Final battle damage will take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction," Caine said.
Vance said in a television interview that while he would not discuss "sensitive intelligence about what we've seen on the ground," he felt "very confident that we've substantially delayed their development of a nuclear weapon."
Pressed further, he told NBC's Meet the Press that "I think that we have really pushed their program back by a very long time. I think that it's going to be many many years before the Iranians are able to develop a nuclear weapon."
The vice-president said the U.S. had "negotiated aggressively' with Iran to try to find a peaceful settlement and that Trump made his decision after assessing the Iranians were not acting "in good faith."
"I actually think it provides an opportunity to reset this relationship, reset these negotiations and get us in a place where Iran can decide not to be a threat to its neighbours, not to be a threat to the United States, and if they're willing to do that, the United States is all ears," Vance said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on CBS's Face the Nation that "there are no planned military operations right now against Iran, unless, unless they mess around and they attack" U.S. interests.
Trump has previously threatened other countries, but often backed down or failed to follow through, given his promises to his coalition of voters not to entangle the United States in an extended war. It was not immediately clear whether Iran saw the avoidance of a wider conflict as in its best interests.
'They crossed a very big red line'
Much of the world is absorbing the consequences of the strikes and the risk that they could lead to more fighting across the Middle East after the U.S. inserted itself into the war between Israel and Iran.
Israeli airstrikes that began on June 13 local time targeted Iran's nuclear facilities and generals, prompting retaliation from Iran and creating a series of events that contributed to the U.S. attack.
While U.S. officials urged caution and stressed that only nuclear sites were targeted by Washington, Iran criticized the actions as a violation of its sovereignty and international law.
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Washington was "fully responsible" for whatever actions Tehran may take in response.
"They crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities," he said at a news conference in Turkey. "I don't know how much room is left for diplomacy."
China and Russia, where Araghchi was heading for talks with President Vladimir Putin, condemned the U.S. military action. The attacks were "a gross violation of international law," said Russia's Foreign Ministry, which also advocated "returning the situation to a political and diplomatic course." A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement warned about the risk of the conflict spreading to "a global level."
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom was moving military equipment into the area to protect its interests, people and allies. His office said he talked on Sunday with Trump about the need for Tehran to resume negotiations, but Trump would have posted his remarks about regime change after their conversation.
The leaders of Italy, Canada, Germany and France agreed on the need for "a rapid resumption of negotiations." France's Emmanuel Macron held talks with the Saudi crown prince and sultan of Oman.
Iran could try to stop oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, which could create the same kind of inflationary shocks that the world felt after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Oil prices increased in the financial markets as the war between Israel and Iran had intensified, climbing by 21 per cent over the past month.