Middle East Crisis Iran War

Analysis: US Redefins Regime Change in Iran

The Trump administration has changed its tone on possible regime change in Iran.

President Donald Trump speaks of a “new and more reasonable” Iranian regime. On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also said that it is a “new regime,” because, according to him, a change has already occurred.

“The president’s statements this week, in which he claims that removing the leadership is the same as regime change, can be interpreted as an attempt to redefine the term so that he can claim that the original goal of the war has been achieved,” writes the New York Times’ Edward Wong in an analysis.

The new regime is outwardly led by the former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, but he has not been seen since his appointment and is said to have been injured in the attack that killed his father.

However, his quick appointment does not rule out a power vacuum, writes Afshon Ostovar in an analysis in Foreign Affairs. According to him, several actors are ready to take over, mainly linked to the Revolutionary Guard.

“If they consolidate power, Tehran will continue to be reflexively antagonistic towards Israel, the US and pro-democracy forces within the country,” he writes.

Trump rages at allies: “Go get your own oil!”

Donald Trump is sharply criticizing the countries that “refused to participate in the beheading of Iran,” according to a post on Truth Social.

He now lists two suggestions for the countries that are short of jet fuel due to the blockade of Hormuz.

“Number 1, buy from the US, we have plenty of it, and Number 2, gather some belated courage, go to the strait and just take it.”

According to Trump, the hard part has already been done and therefore the countries concerned can “go get your own oil.”

Report: US Sending Another Aircraft Carrier

The US aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush is on its way to the Middle East, according to information from the Wall Street Journal.

The ship joins the already deployed aircraft carriers USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald Ford, which are anchored in Croatia for repairs.

According to the newspaper, the ship left the port of Norfolk, Virginia, on Tuesday.

Trump: We will leave Iran within two to three weeks

The US military will leave Iran within two to three weeks, says Donald Trump at a press conference in the Oval Office, according to several media outlets.

The main goal of the war was to ensure that Iran could not develop nuclear weapons, says the president.

– That has been achieved. Now we are finishing the job.

Furthermore, Trump says that the US will not interfere in what happens in the Strait of Hormuz when they go home.

– It is not up to us. It is up to France and everyone who uses the strait.