President Trump calls on Iranians to take over their government and select new leadership
As the U.S.-Isreal war on Iran continues into its sixth day, U.S. officials continue to call on Iranians to choose new leaders and restore stability to the region.
At the outset of the operation, President Donald Trump urged the people of Iran, “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.” The president acknowledged that not all outcomes would be ideal, “The worst case would be we do this and then somebody takes over who’s as bad as the previous person, right? That could happen. We don’t want that to happen. You go through this and in five years you realize you put somebody in who is no better.”
When asked if the administration had identified any potential partners in Iran to lead a new Iranian government, the president said, “Most of the people we had in mind are dead. So, you know, we had some in mind from that group that is dead. And now we have another group. They may be dead also based on reports. So, I guess you have a third way of coming in. Pretty soon we’re not going to know anybody.”
In Iran, an elected body of senior clerics began to meet virtually on Wednesday to select leadership following the death of Ali Khamenei in a joint U.S.-Israeli strike. Upon receiving the news, Israeli leadership responded immediately that they oppose these elections in Iran, “Any leader appointed by the Iran,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said, “will be an unequivocal target for elimination – the prime minister and I have instructed the IDF to prepare and act by all means necessary to carry out the mission as an integral part of the objectives of Operation ‘Lion’s Roar.’”
With Israel spearheading the initial attacks, Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified what the U.S. hopes to accomplish in the coming days, “We would love to see this regime be replaced. If there’s something we can do to help them down the road, we’d obviously be open to it.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For God to bring about a swift and peaceful end to the conflict in Iran.
- For God to be at work in administration officials as they consider viable paths forward for who will lead Iran in the future.
- For wisdom for the president as he works with allies and partners in the region.
Sources: Fox News, The Hill, White House, Reuters, AP News
