Trump’s Endgame In Iran: Strategic Submission or Systemic Collapse?

Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI)—a US-based advocacy group working to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons—argues that the visible degradation of the state’s power could provide the missing catalyst. “One hope in the campaign seems to be that the Iranian people will take to the streets and grow bolder in challenging the regime, as they will see it weakened,” Brodsky told RFE/RL. He added that the goal is to “level the playing field” by degrading the state’s ability to crack down on dissent, theoretically allowing the “unarmed Iranian people” to reclaim their country.