President Trump urges end to Iran’s 37-year rule while US military increases troop presence in volatile region.
Trump Calls for New Iranian Leadership
President Donald Trump has called for an end to the 37-year rule of Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In an interview with Politico, Trump stated that Khamenei is responsible for the complete destruction of his country. “It’s time to seek new leadership in Iran,” Trump said.
The US president stated that leadership should focus on proper country management rather than killing thousands to maintain control. “Leadership should focus on proper country management, as I do in the United States, not on killing thousands of people to maintain control,” the US president stated.
US Strengthens Military Presence in Middle East
According to Ukrainian news agency UNIAN, the United States has begun reinforcing its presence in the Middle East with heavy armored vehicles – M1 Abrams tanks and M2A3 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. “The deployment of these platforms enables complex joint operations and significantly increases security for personnel in high-risk environments,” the Army stated.
Earlier, The War Zone reported that the Pentagon has sent at least one aircraft carrier with a strike group to the Middle East. “Open-source intelligence indicates that some US Air Force assets may also be heading in this direction,” the report read.
Military Action Against Iran Reportedly Halted
On Wednesday, a C-17 transport aircraft, capable of rapidly evacuating large numbers of people and equipment, was scheduled to depart from a base near Iran to Greece but was turned back and its mission canceled. This suggests that on Wednesday evening, some kind of tipping point occurred, according to Maciej Kucharczyk writing for Gazeta.pl.
USA may have already developing air strike or preparations for it. This coincided with President Trump’s statement around 9 PM Polish time, during a press conference at the White House, that “the killing has stopped” in Iran and “they are not planning to hang anyone.”
Iranian Leader Responds
Spiritual leader of Iran Ali Khamenei stated that his country “considers Donald Trump a criminal for causing casualties, damage, and slander against the Iranian nation during the protests.” “The latest anti-Iranian rebellion differed in that the US president personally engaged in it,” Iranian media quoted the leader.
The anti-government protests, caused by Iran’s economic crisis, began on December 28, 2025, and led to repression from the country’s religious authorities, mass arrests, and internet blockades. The number of victims is difficult to estimate, with various reports indicating between 12,000 and 20,000 deaths, while Human Rights Activists News agency reported that the number of victims exceeded 2,500.
