Regime change is not the main goal of Operation Epic Fury, but Trump still expects to see someone he can work with in charge, and if that is not the case, well, let’s just say the bombs may not stop flowing.
After the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the initial bombings, as well as much of the Iranian leadership, the question was whether Iran would go for a full regime change or just do more of the same.
That question was answered this week when the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was elected, a decision that did not make Trump very happy.
The intended goal of this military operation is to ensure that Iran cannot hit the United States on its homeland.
No long-range missiles, no nuclear weapons, and significantly hinder its ability to conduct any threatening military operations.
That goal is already well underway, but there is an added benefit of killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and hoping for regime change. And honestly, in a situation like this, hope is all you truly have on that front.
You need the people of the country to rise up and help, but that has not happened as of yet. To that point, Trump recently told Politico, “We’ll work with the people and the regime to make sure that somebody gets there that can nicely build Iran but without nuclear weapons.”
It is now being reported that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the former Supreme Leader, has been chosen to lead Iran in the wake of his father’s death.
Trump has called him “incompetent” and stated that he is “not happy” with this choice. When you consider what Trump has done to the rest of the Iranian leadership, that is not good news for the new leader.
Trump, according to Axios, added, "Khamenei's son is unacceptable to me. We want someone who will bring harmony and peace to Iran.
"They are wasting their time. Khamenei's son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela."
Even though Trump has been critical of new leadership in Iran, he does say that the country wants to open a line of communication.
Fox News reported that Trump stated, "I'm hearing they want to talk badly. It's possible, depends on what terms, possible, only possible... You know, we sort of don't have to speak anymore, you know, if you really think about it, but it's possible.”
If recent reports are accurate, it may not be Mojtaba Khamenei that Trump is speaking to, as he was reportedly injured in a recent strike. He is reportedly still functioning but hurt. Trump knows the clock is ticking here, and he has to have this operation wrapped up inside of 60 days to avoid congressional problems, but Iran knows that as well. Does the new leader roll the dice, or will he pick up the phone and play nice?
The time to strike a deal is now, while Trump is feeling generous. If not, expect the tempo of these attacks to pick up, as Trump will be looking to inflict as much damage as possible to cripple this nation beyond repair before the sand in the hourglass runs out.
