Trump Considers Backing Militias to Oust Iranian Regime Amid Leadership Vacuum

WASHINGTON – President Trump is open to supporting armed groups inside Iran to dislodge the regime, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, as Tehran grapples with a leadership crisis following U.S. and Israeli strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of senior figures.

The potential support could include arms, training, or intelligence for anti-regime factions, with Trump engaging Kurdish leaders who maintain forces along the Iraq-Iran border. Israeli bombings in western Iran have cleared paths that could facilitate advances by such groups.

Trump has urged Iranians to rise up, offering "total immunity" to IRGC members, armed forces, and police who defect and lay down weapons. He suggested an internal leader might be ideal, dismissing exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi as lacking current popularity in Iran. U.S. officials note uncertainty over succession, with an interim council in place but no viable Khamenei successor identified. Many potential power brokers, including Ali Shamkhani, Mohammad Pakpour, and Mohammad Shirazi, were eliminated in the initial strikes.

Experts emphasize that regime change would require ground forces, potentially organized by the U.S. among Persian and minority groups, to exploit the regime's weakened state. The administration's primary focus remains eliminating nuclear and missile threats, but backing militias could accelerate internal upheaval without direct U.S. occupation.

To date, the military action—entering its sixth day—has involved over 2,000 strikes achieving air superiority, degrading key facilities, and prompting Iranian retaliations including drone attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and missile barrages on Gulf allies, resulting in six American service members killed. Reinforcements continue, with Trump projecting four to five weeks of targeted operations to secure U.S. and allied interests.