US President Donald Trump remains open to diplomacy with Tehran but suggests Iranians should consider toppling their own government if it refuses to return to nuclear negotiations, the White House said Monday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking on Fox News, defended Trump’s stance following recent US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
She emphasized the president’s ongoing interest in peaceful engagement but pointed to Iran’s domestic repression as a justification for potential regime change if talks collapse.
“If the Iranian regime refuses to come to a peaceful diplomatic solution, which the president is still interested and engaging in, by the way, why shouldn’t the Iranian people take away the power of this incredibly violent regime that has been suppressing them for decades?” Leavitt asked.
Over the weekend, American bombers launched strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, joining Israel’s broader military operation to neutralize what it alleges is a clandestine weapons program.
The targeted facilities included Iran’s heavily fortified enrichment sites, long a source of international concern.
Trump’s messaging took a more provocative turn Sunday when he questioned long-standing US policy.
“Why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???” he wrote on social media, diverging from the official line that Washington is not pursuing the overthrow of Iran’s leadership.
Meanwhile, the White House hailed the air campaign as a success, with Trump celebrating the outcome online.
“Monumental Damage was done,” he posted, though no independent assessments have yet confirmed the extent of the destruction or how much it has impacted Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
The West, led by the US and Israel, continues to accuse Iran of developing nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian energy program, a charge Tehran has consistently rejected.
Recent satellite images released by Maxar Technologies depict the scale of damage inflicted on Iran’s Isfahan enrichment facility, comparing views from June 16 and after the June 22 strikes.
The contrast highlights the intensity of the operation, but Iran has yet to issue a full response or assessment of the situation.
