Do people in Iran support the call to end its regime?
Donald Trump has said he hopes to topple Iran’s strict Islamic leadership and end the regime of its leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after the US bombed the country due to concerns it may be developing a nuclear weapon. But do the people of Iran support these actions?
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In brief…
- The US has joined Israel in bombing Iran due to concerns it has been enriching uranium in order to develop nuclear capabilities.
- The News Agents say that while war may bring about the end of a regime which will be celebrated in the Middle East, the similarities to the Iraq War – where no weapons of mass destruction were ever found – looms large over the escalating situation.
- Iranian journalist Sahar Zand tells The News Agents that many people in Iran support the intentions of Israel and the US, having failed to overthrow the regime through years of protest – but says its citizens want the world to know the conflict is not a route they would have ever chosen.
What’s the story?
"Now is the time for peace".
It's a bold move to call for peace in a country you've just bombed, but that's Donald Trump for you.
On Sunday 22 June – hours after bombing the country due to its rumoured development of a nuclear weapon – Trump was posting on social media (in all caps) about securing peace in the region, as Keir Starmer led calls for Iran to return to the negotiating table to resume peace talks.
Trump’s comments have put him at odds with key members of his administration, after calling for a regime change in Iran to “make Iran great again”.
Vice President JD Vance and defence secretary Pete Hegseth have both denied the US bombing was in any way about changing the leadership in the country.
Jon Sopel says the contradictions between the statements given by Trump’s team, and the president, highlight how “difficult” a man he is to work with.
But while this may be the case, there will be many in Iran who agree with his stance on changing its regime, and images of the notorious Evin Prison, damaged by Israeli bombing, will be a cause for “jubilation” among Iranians, says Emily Maitlis, describing it as a place of “torture and horror”.
What comes next?
Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been the leader of Iran since 1989. Protests have long been held in Iran against his strict Islamic leadership, which oppresses women, LGBTQ+ people and other minorities.
Emily says she doubts “many tears will be shed” by Iran’s neighbours if his regime collapses.
“I guess this is why they're trying to have a conversation with citizens of Iran whilst they're actually bombing their houses in Tehran, to say, 'this could be your opportunity. We are weakening your government so that it can be overthrown',” she adds.
But the shadow of the Iraq War continues to loom large in this escalating conflict, which was also begun due to the perceived threat of the development of weapons of mass destruction – which were never found.
“The one thing that isn't going to happen is that the mullahs will fall, and the next day, there'll be this lovely liberal democratic government, which will be really Western friendly and they will be an open democracy,” says Jon.
“It won't.”
The additional threat in attacking Iran is the number of terror groups it sponsors in the Middle East, including Hamas and Hezbollah, and that retaliation against America may not only come from the state itself, but also from these groups.
Emily adds that these groups may feel they have “unfinished business” with the US, due to its long term actions in the region.
Do the people of Iran support calls for an end of Khamenei’s regime?
Sahar Zand, an Iranian journalist who has extensively covered protests in the country, believes that the potential fall of Khamenei's regime will be a cause of celebration for many people in Iran.
"Iranians are deeply patriotic people. They love their country, and perhaps this is because of all the oppression, all the issues they've had over the years," Zand tells The News Agents.
"It's united them and over the past few years, with all of the protests, Iranians have come together even more so. They are very fearful that their soil is being attacked, that their infrastructure is being attacked, that these are public properties.
"But at the same time, a lot of them admit that despite their best effort, they couldn't get rid of the Islamic Republic, the regime, which they see as their common enemy, and they think that perhaps this could be it, and that this is perhaps a price they have to pay."
She says the one thing the people of Iran want the world to know is that "this is not our war", that this conflict is between Israel, America and the Iranian state – even if it's the people of Iran who are paying the price.
Zand describes Benjamin Netenyahu's addresses to the people of Iran a "smart" move from the Israeli prime minister – even if she does not believe his bombing comes from a place of concern for Iranian citizens.
"It's only pushing their own agenda. They're not doing this for the Iranian people," she says.
"If they do get rid of the regime, great, it would be a good outcome for everyone.
"But they're not doing this for the Iran regime. They're doing this for their own people, for their own gates."
She says the Iranian government has given no warnings to its people about any imminent Israeli strikes, leaving citizens to rely on social media to get information from Israel sources.
"It shows that they don't care about the people's lives – at worst, it actually shows that Iran might want people to die," Zand says.
"One might want more casualties to actually then point the finger of human rights abuses against the attackers, and they have often been using Gaza and the atrocities and the human rights abuses in Gaza to basically try to counter what's happening from Israel.
"There are no sirens, there are no bunkers, even though they've been inviting war for years. What does that tell you?"
She says during her time covering the protests inside Iran against its regime, she has seen them grow enormously in size and strength, and says there is a sense of hope among the country's people that this could finally be its end.
"It's a really complex thing, because on the one hand, we want this regime gone, and we know that long term, this is actually going to save people, but at the same time, this is a war," Zand adds.
"Our infrastructure is being killed, our women and children and our people are being killed.
"We're all frustrated, we're all scared, and there is also this sense of guilt when, when deep down inside we support this war, because we've been at war with their regimes for so much longer."