US President Trump publicly hinted at replacing Iran’s regime — if it can’t ‘make Iran great again’ — adding uncertainty to an already tense situation in the Middle East, though his administration does not appear fully confident in the idea.read more
The Trump administration sent mixed signals to Iran on Sunday — with some US officials suggesting they were open to restarting talks after a surprise attack on three nuclear sites, while President Donald Trump raised the prospect 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 Truth Social. “MIGA!!!” The post marked a reversal from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Sunday morning news conference, in which he detailed the aerial strikes.
“This mission was not and has not been about regime change,” Hegseth stated.
The Trump administration has been delivering mixed messages to Iran – issuing tough, threatening remarks while simultaneously calling for renewed dialogue. This has created uncertainty over whether the president is trying to provoke Iran or unintentionally deepening the conflict with Israel.
Prior to Trump’s post on Sunday afternoon, his vice president, defence secretary, top military adviser, and secretary of state all projected confidence that any fallout would be manageable, and that Iran’s relatively weaker military would eventually drive it back to the negotiating table.
Hegseth had stated that America “does not seek war” with Iran, while Vice President JD Vance said the strikes had given Tehran an opportunity to return to negotiations with Washington.
However, the situation is not entirely within Washington’s control. Tehran retains several levers it could use in response to the airstrikes, potentially escalating the conflict in the Middle East with global consequences.
Iran could block oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, launch attacks on US bases in the region, carry out cyber-attacks, or accelerate its nuclear programme – which may now be seen as more essential following the US assault.
This raises the question of whether the strikes will usher in a more brutal phase of warfare or lead to revived diplomacy out of caution. Domestically, the attacks quickly spilled into American politics, with Trump using part of his Sunday to criticise his opponents in Congress.
Having addressed the nation from the White House on Saturday night, Trump returned to social media on Sunday to lambast Representative Thomas Massie, who had criticised the president for acting without specific congressional authorisation.
“We had a spectacular military success yesterday, taking the bomb right out of their hands (and they would use it if they could!),” Trump posted on Truth Social.
At a joint Pentagon briefing, Hegseth and Air Force General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that “Operation Midnight Hammer” involved decoys and deception, and encountered no Iranian resistance.
Caine said the operation’s objective – destroying nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan — had been achieved.
“Final battle damage assessments will take time, but initial indications show all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,” Caine added.