May 17, 2019
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has admitted that the US goal in Iran is regime change—but not with the US military toppling the government. The intent of all the pressure tactics is to induce the Iranian people to overthrow the regime.
Earlier this month, Pompeo was interviewed by Michael Morell, a former acting director of the CIA, for Morell’s podcast.
The publicly stated goal of the administration is to force the Islamic Republic to change its policies and behavior in 12 ways listed last year by Pompeo. Most analysts have said the list demands too much and the Islamic Republic could never make so many concessions.
Morell asked Pompeo if he believed it was possible to get Iran to change enough to satisfy the United States.
Stunningly, Pompeo said he did not.
Then he explained, “I think what can change is the people can change the government. What we’re trying to do is create space for the Iranian people.”
Many analysts in the US and Europe doubt that will work. They point out that revolutions are a throw of the dice and one doesn’t know who will emerge on top—as was demonstrated very well after the 1906 and 1979 revolutions in Iran.
Many analysts fear that the collapse of the current regime will bring to power a military dictatorship run by the Pasdaran.
In Iran, there doesn’t appear to be much interest in another revolution. One of the common streetwise sayings is: “We tried that twice before and it didn’t work.”