▲President Donald Trump.
On March 30, President Donald Trump stated that with the progress of the war, Iran has essentially completed a “regime change”, with the original leadership having been decimated, and now in power are a group of “very reasonable” new faces. Trump also revealed that he is considering taking control of Iran’s oil lifeline, Kharg Island, and that the Tehran authorities have accepted the 15-point peace agreement proposed by the U.S., indicating that both sides have basically reached a consensus.
“The original group is all gone” Trump claims Iran has changed
According to CNN reports, Trump stated during an interview on “Air Force One” that Iran’s current power structure is completely different from before. Trump described, “If you look at the current situation, we have achieved a regime change. The previous regime has been significantly weakened and destroyed, they are all gone.”
Trump pointed out that several waves of leadership in Iran have collapsed, “Now with this third wave of power, we are facing a group of new faces that no one has dealt with before, a completely different group of people. I believe this is a regime change, and frankly speaking, they are behaving reasonably now.”
In fact, after the U.S. and Israel jointly launched airstrikes which resulted in the death of former supreme leader Khamenei, his son Mojtaba Khamenei has taken over power. Additionally, several high-ranking officials including key power figure Ali Larijani have also died in the airstrikes, raising significant concerns about the power vacuum and restructuring.
Trump plans to occupy Kharg Island: U.S. troops may be stationed for a while
Besides the regime change, Trump also confirmed in an interview with the Financial Times that he is still contemplating taking control of Iran’s key oil hub, Kharg Island. The island, located in the northern part of the Persian Gulf, accounts for nearly 90% of Tehran’s crude oil exports, making it Iran’s economic lifeline.
Trump stated, “We may take Kharg Island, or we may not, we have many options.” However, he hinted that if action is taken, U.S. troops might need to be stationed locally for a period of time.
The U.S. Central Command launched a large-scale airstrike on Kharg Island on March 13, targeting 90 military objectives including mine facilities and missile bunkers. White House officials believe that if the U.S. can effectively control Kharg Island, it will cut off funding for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and lead to bankruptcy, clearing the way to end the war.
Trump praises Tehran for being “reasonable” and accepting most U.S. 15 points plan
Regarding the negotiation progress, Trump expressed an optimistic attitude. He revealed that Iran has agreed to the vast majority of the 15-point request list through a message relayed via Pakistan, stating, “They have given us most of the key points, why not? They agree to this plan.”
Trump also disclosed that Tehran, to demonstrate sincerity, has generously gifted a large amount of crude oil to the U.S., saying, “Four days ago I mentioned receiving a gift, and now I can say it was an ‘8 plus 2’ gift, which is 10 tankers of oil, and today they sent another 20 tankers that will start shipping tomorrow.”
It is reported that the 15-point proposal includes: limiting Tehran’s defense capabilities, stopping support for proxy armed groups, recognizing Israel’s existence, and committing to not possessing nuclear weapons. Trump emphasized that both direct and indirect talks between the two sides have been going very smoothly, and they are currently moving towards the goal of ending the war.