President Donald Trump has made it clear that his administration is not pursuing regime change in Iran.
Trump warns that such efforts would bring “so much chaos.”
The president continued by referencing historical U.S. military entanglements that followed similar approaches in the past.
“No,” Trump said on Tuesday when asked whether the U.S. intended to pursue “regime change.”
“If there was, there was, but no, I don’t want it.”
He added, “I’d like to see everything calm down as quickly as possible.
“Regime change takes chaos, and ideally, we don’t want to see so much chaos.”
Trump made the remarks aboard Air Force One en route to the Netherlands for a NATO summit, according to the New York Post.
In private discussions, the president reportedly expressed concern that a push for regime change could create another Libya-style crisis in the region.
The comments came just days after Trump confirmed the U.S. conducted a “very successful attack on” three Iranian nuclear sites: Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.
The operation included the use of a 15-ton Massive Ordnance Penetrator dropped from a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, the only aircraft capable of delivering the weapon.
The Iranian facility at Fordow, buried deep beneath a mountain, had been viewed as virtually impervious to conventional attack.
On Monday evening, Trump announced that Iran and Israel had reached a “complete and total ceasefire” that was expected to take effect within six to twelve hours.
The breakthrough followed escalating tensions between the two nations, intensified by Iran’s nuclear activities and retaliatory strikes in the region.
However, by Tuesday morning, Trump expressed frustration, accusing both countries of violating the agreement.
While neither nation has violated the deal, both Iran and Israel launched attacks following the agreement but before the ceasefire came into effect.
“Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs,” Trump told reporters.
“I’m not happy with Israel.
“When I say, ‘Okay, now you have twelve hours,’ you don’t go out in the first hour and just drop everything you have on them.”
The president also criticized Iran, but noted that one Iranian rocket had misfired.
“I’m not happy with them [Israel],” Trump added.
“I’m not happy with Iran, either.
“But I’m really unhappy if Israel’s going out this morning because of one rocket that didn’t land — I’m not happy about that.”
Reflecting his growing impatience, Trump said:
“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard, that they don’t know what the f**k they’re doing.”
WATCH:
Later that morning, the president issued a direct warning to Israel via Truth Social:
“ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS.
“IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION.
“BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!”
At the same time, Trump sought to refocus public attention on his domestic legislative agenda, declaring on Truth Social:
“We must finish the job here at home by passing ‘THE GREAT, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL,’ and getting the Bill to my desk, ASAP.
“We are finally entering our Golden Age, which will bring unprecedented Safety, Security, and Prosperity for ALL of our Citizens.”
“To my friends in the Senate, lock yourself in a room if you must, don’t go home, and GET THE DEAL DONE THIS WEEK,” Trump added.
“Work with the House so they can pick it up, and pass it, IMMEDIATELY.
“NO ONE GOES ON VACATION UNTIL IT’S DONE.”
The comments illustrate a dual-track effort by the administration: de-escalating foreign conflict while demanding swift progress on the president’s domestic agenda.
Whether the ceasefire between Israel and Iran will hold remains to be seen.
But for now, there is peace.
