U.S. President Donald Trump said in connection with the U.S. military's strike on Iran, "All I want is freedom for those people (the Iranian people)." The remark can be read as broadening the strike's objective, alongside blocking Iran's nuclear threat, to effectively include regime change.
On the 28th (local time), in a brief phone interview with the Washington Post (WP) after the launch of the military operation, Trump answered this way when asked what he hoped the "legacy" of the regime left by this strike would be. He added, "I want a safe country," saying, "That's what we are trying to have."
It reads as saying that the goal of this operation is to prevent Iran from possessing nuclear weapons to protect the United States from potential Iran-origin military threats, while at the same time helping the Iranian people break free from the oppression of the theocratic system.
WP said Trump did not take questions about the scope of the ongoing operation or whether U.S. ground forces would be involved. WP also said he arrived in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, where his private residence is located, on the night of the 27th Eastern time, a few hours before the operation began.
Before the WP interview, Trump, in a video message posted on social media (SNS), urged the Iranian people to "take over your government when we are finished (with the strike)," and said, "This will probably be your only chance over many generations."
He also said, "For years, you asked the United States for help but never received it. No president wanted to do tonight what I am willing to do," adding, "Now you have a president who gives you what you want."
He went on, "Let's see how you respond," and said, "The United States is supporting you with overwhelming strength and destructive power." He added, "Now is the time to seize control over your destiny and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is within your reach," saying, "Now is the moment to act." He also said, "Do not let this opportunity pass."