With precision, might and a touch of surprise, Trump hastens the clock for regime change in Iran

President Donald Trump has quickly reshaped the world with precision, stealthy surprise and military might, ousting Nicolas Maduro from bed -- and power -- in a night-time raid in Venezuela, pushing an energy-starved Cuba to the brink and hastening regime change in Iran with a deadly strike on the reviled and repressive Supreme Leader Ali Khameini and his top leadership.

The dizzying events of Saturday  set the stage for a once unthinkable realignment in the Middle East as U.S. and Israeli missiles decapitated a large part of Tehran’s theocratic leadership and positioned the Iranian people within days or a few weeks to overthrow a 47-year tyrannical regime that has reigned terror on its own citizens and Westerners across the globe.

The thunderous strikes prompted Iran’s most infamous resistance group, the MEK, to think about a transition to a new government, left jubilant Iranian ex-pats dancing in the streets in communities across the globe and even lured a few Democrats like Sen. John Fetterman to Trump’s side.

“This is the most consequential day in the Middle East that I can remember,” former Deputy National Security Adviser Victoria Coates told Fox News. “It has brought our partners and allies together in a historic way.”

The road ahead is still far from uncertain. Iran’s first retaliation strikes were tepid but it has many maleficent capabilities, from missiles to terror proxies at its disposal. And at home, Republicans and Democrats may pair together for a War Powers resolution vote aimed at clipping the president’s wings.

But Trump set a clear compass at 2 a.m. Saturday when he announced he had authorized “major combat operations” alongside Israel against Iran and that his goal was to empower the Iranian people to take back their government from the mullahs.

“I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand,” he told the Iranian people.

After confirmation that the first volley had killed Khameini, who ruled Iran with an iron grip for 37 years while terrorizing the world, Trump declared himself satisfied that Iran may be closer to regime change than even he imagined.

"Much easier now than it was a day ago, obviously," Trump answered when queried by CBS News on Saturday night about the possibility of a diplomatic solution "Because they are getting beat up badly."

Coates was in the White House situation room in 2020 when Trump launched a strike that killed Iran’s most feared general Qasem Soleimani.

But Saturday’s operation was much larger and consequential, and the face of Iran’s repression has been wiped out. So too is any temptation that the United States needs to achieve the regime change by itself or get bogged down in nation building like it did in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It is “not America’s mission to go and create democracy in Iran. That’s for the people of Iran if they wish to do it, or whatever other form of government they might want,” Coates told The Daily Signal.

Her former colleague inside the National Security Council, Steve Yates, said Trump not only understands that dynamic, he has flexed power in ways that are changing the course of history: dictators are given a chance in short time to seek peace. And if they fail or drag their feet, then America’s might reins down on them.

Trump “has proven in multiple cases, in multiple destinations, willingness to strike hard and use force to change those realities,” Yates said on Fox News. “At the same time, gave a very comprehensive message before this operation commenced.”

Saturday's strikes seemed to catch Iran off guard, perhaps because it believed it had made some limited progress in negotiations with the U.S. in Europe. But that progress wasn't fast enough for an impatient Trump.

The U.S. and Israel upped the ante with a second round of strikes early Sunday, part of a plan to consistently erode Iran’s military capabilities until a moment when its people can legitimately take to the streets without being mowed down and topple the regime.

One of the country’s most feared resistance forces, the MEK, seemed to take the cue Saturday with a major announcement from its Western-facing arm.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran announced it had set up a "provisional government to transfer sovereignty" to the Iranian people and establish a Democratic Republic along with a 10-point plan for a post-mullah Iran.

"In these difficult circumstances, I call on all of you, especially the courageous youth of our country, to care for civilians and the general public, particularly children and the elderly. Protect them and help one another. Now is the time for solidarity," said Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the NCRI.

"Our strength lies in the unity and cohesion of our people against the religious dictatorship and the remnants of monarchical fascism that seek to steal the democratic revolution. At this critical moment, I call upon our compatriots and all forces of Iran’s democratic revolution to remain vigilant and prepared," she added.

The ten-point plan includes "freedom of speech, freedom of political parties, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press and the internet" as well as the "dissolution and disbanding of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the terrorist Qods Force, plainclothes groups, the unpopular Bassij, the Ministry of Intelligence, Council of the Cultural Revolution, and all suppressive patrols and institutions in cities, villages, schools, universities, offices, and factories."

Trump said he was confident there are several good options for people who could govern Iran in the future. But for now, he was staying the course. More precision bombings.