Trump threatens Iran with regime change amid rising tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday raised the question of regime change in Iran following U.S. strikes against three key nuclear sites in the country over the weekend.

Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday afternoon that, quote, it's not politically correct to use the term regime change, but if the current Iranian regime is unable to make Iran great again, why wouldn't there be a regime change?

That appeared to be a departure from messaging from top officials in his administration.

Earlier in the day at a press conference at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegsa said the U.S. strikes in Iran were not a preamble to overthrow its government.

This mission was not and has not been about regime change.

The president authorized a precision operation to neutralize the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program and the collective self-defense of our troops and our ally Israel.

And in a Sunday interview on NBC's Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, Vice President J.D.

Vance took a similar line to Hegseth on the question of regime change.

Well, first of all, we don't want to achieve regime change.

We want to achieve the end of the Iranian nuclear program, John.

That's America's objective, and that's what the president has set us out to do.

U.S. General Dan Kaine said Operation Midnight Hammer involved seven B-2 bombers, which flew for 18 hours from the United States into Iran to launch 75 precision-guided munitions in total on three nuclear sites.

Tehran has vowed to defend itself.

After the U.S. strikes, it traded more volleys of missiles with Israel that wounded scores of people and destroyed buildings in the commercial hub of Tel Aviv.

But it has not yet targeted U.S. military bases or choked off oil shipments that pass through its waters.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday no more U.S. strikes were planned unless Iran responded.

In an interview on CBS, he said, quote, "...we have other targets we can hit, but we achieved our objective."

There are no planned military operations right now against Iran unless they mess around.