Trump Urges Iranians to ‘Take Over Your Government’ in Regime Change Appeal
By Juba Global News Network | JubaGlobal.com February 28, 2026 In an extraordinary eight-minute video address posted to Truth Social at approximately 2:30
By Juba Global News Network | JubaGlobal.com
February 28, 2026
In an extraordinary eight-minute video address posted to Truth Social at approximately 2:30 a.m. EST on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump directly called on the people of Iran to overthrow their government, framing the ongoing joint U.S.-Israeli military strikes as an historic opening for regime change after more than four decades of theocratic rule.
The remarks came as explosions continued to rock Tehran and other Iranian cities following the preemptive operation that targeted missile production facilities, nuclear-related sites, command centers, and locations associated with senior regime figures. President Trump, speaking from what appeared to be the Situation Room, confirmed U.S. participation in the strikes and outlined their strategic purpose before pivoting to a direct message to ordinary Iranians.
“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take,” Trump declared. “This will be probably your only chance for generations. The regime has oppressed you, starved you, imprisoned you, and sent your children to die in useless wars. Now is the moment. Shelter during the bombardment—we will be dropping bombs everywhere—but when the dust settles, the future belongs to the Iranian people, not to the mullahs.”
He described the Iranian leadership as “a vicious group of very hard, terrible people” who had brought the nation to ruin while threatening the world with nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. Trump emphasized that the military campaign aimed to “raze their missile industry to the ground,” annihilate Iran’s navy, and ensure the regime could never develop or deploy nuclear arms. “We are not here to occupy Iran,” he added. “We are here to remove the existential threat and give the brave people of Iran the opportunity they have waited for since 1979.”
The regime-change rhetoric marked a sharp departure from previous U.S. statements on the strikes, which had focused primarily on degrading military capabilities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a separate address delivered shortly afterward, echoed similar language, stating that the operation would “create the conditions for the courageous Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands and remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran.”
The appeal quickly reverberated across social media platforms inside and outside Iran. Supporters of opposition movements—ranging from monarchists and secular democrats to ethnic minority activists—shared clips of Trump’s message with captions such as “The moment has arrived” and “America is finally listening.” Diaspora communities in Los Angeles, London, Geneva, and Toronto organized spontaneous demonstrations, waving pre-revolutionary flags and chanting slogans against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Inside Iran, the situation remained far more uncertain. Internet connectivity was severely disrupted in major cities, with state-controlled media downplaying or ignoring the president’s words. State television continued to broadcast images of damaged U.S. and Israeli military assets while vowing “crushing retaliation.” However, independent reports from activists and citizen journalists suggested growing unrest in several neighborhoods of Tehran, Isfahan, and Tabriz, where small crowds gathered despite heavy security presence.
Critics of the approach warned that an explicit call for regime change could backfire. Some Iran analysts noted that past U.S. encouragement of internal uprisings—most notably during the 2009 Green Movement and the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests—had been met with brutal crackdowns and little tangible support. Others argued that tying military action so openly to political transformation risked unifying regime loyalists and complicating any future diplomatic off-ramp.
The White House did not immediately clarify whether the regime-change language represented official policy or a personal statement by the president. Senior administration officials, speaking anonymously, described the strikes as limited in scope and duration, focused on military targets rather than a broader occupation or forced government overthrow. Yet Trump’s words appeared to signal a willingness to exploit the current military momentum for political ends.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry swiftly condemned the address as “incitement to sedition and interference in sovereign affairs,” accusing the United States of using military force to impose its will on the region. The Revolutionary Guard issued a statement warning that any attempt at internal destabilization would be met with “severe and unforgiving” measures against perceived collaborators.
As the military confrontation entered its second wave—with Iran launching retaliatory missile barrages toward Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf—the political dimension introduced by Trump’s appeal added yet another layer of volatility. Whether the call galvanizes a broad-based uprising, provokes a fiercer regime response, or simply becomes another chapter in decades of rhetorical confrontation between Washington and Tehran remains to be seen.
For now, the Iranian people face a stark and dangerous choice amid falling bombs and rising hopes. History will record whether February 28, 2026, becomes remembered as the day the regime began to crumble—or the day another cycle of repression tightened its grip.
Juba Global News Network will continue providing updates as events unfold. Follow live coverage at JubaGlobal.com.
By: Juba Global News Network | JubaGlobal.com
