Trump Also Mentions "Regime Change" in Iran
As the United States launched a surprise airstrike on three Iranian nuclear facilities, Cho Hanbum, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, stated, "The intention is to completely annihilate Iran, believing that Iran will not be able to retaliate."
Appearing on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyunjung's News Show' on the 23rd, Dr. Cho said, "Donald Trump's approach is extremely cunning. He never acts recklessly against strong opponents like Putin or Xi Jinping, but when it comes to weaker adversaries, he exploits their vulnerabilities and forces them to surrender painfully." He continued, "This is his method."
He added, "A characteristic of Trump's leadership is that justification is not important. Even if you run a deficit for 365 days, as long as you make a huge profit at the end, that's considered successful management." He went on to say, "If the war drags on, it becomes an extremely high-cost structure, but from a managerial perspective, Trump believes this approach is advantageous for him, and that by doing so, Iran will eventually come to the negotiating table."
However, Dr. Cho questioned, "Would Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, come to negotiations under these circumstances?" He explained, "Iran did not expect the United States to launch an attack, and even if they did, they thought it would happen after about two weeks. That window would have allowed for negotiations."
Regarding future developments, he said, "If Iran attacks a U.S. military base, Khamenei will be able to save face, but in that case, the United States will retaliate again. There is also a concern that Iran could carry out terrorist attacks targeting random civilians, which could make the United States anxious." He also addressed the possibility of a 'Third World War,' saying, "A third 'economic' world war is possible, but China and Russia are remaining silent and inactive. The idea of a global military conflict is an exaggeration."
Meanwhile, President Trump mentioned the possibility of regime change in Iran. On the 22nd (local time), President Trump wrote on Truth Social, "It may not be politically correct to use the term 'regime change,' but if the current Iranian regime cannot make Iran great again, why wouldn't there be regime change?" He also introduced a modified slogan, 'MIGA (Make Iran Great Again),' based on 'MAGA (Make America Great Again).'
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