U.S. President Donald Trump has declared that the month-long conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran has effectively achieved “regime change” in Tehran.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, March 29, 2026, the President asserted that the targeted strikes against Iran’s top leadership have decimated the previous governing structure. He claimed that the U.S. is now dealing with a “third regime” and a entirely different group of people who are proving to be significantly more reasonable than their predecessors.
According to the President, the first “evil” regime was destroyed at the onset of the war, and the second, appointed leadership has also been largely eliminated. While Mojtaba Khamenei—the son of late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—was tapped to lead the country following his father’s death on February 28, Trump suggested that he is currently “seriously wounded” and perhaps only nominally in power.
The President noted that this shift in leadership has accelerated the timeline for a diplomatic resolution, expressing high confidence that a formal deal to end the war could be reached “pretty soon.”
In what he described as a sign of respect and a major concession from the new Iranian leadership, Trump revealed that 20 large oil tankers have been granted permission to transit the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday morning.
This move is expected to provide immediate relief to global energy markets, which have been in a tailspin since Iran effectively closed the vital waterway at the start of the conflict.
While the President’s tone was optimistic, he cautioned that negotiations are ongoing and that further military pressure remains an alternative if the new group of leaders fails to meet Washington’s final demands.
