Trump administration revisits Iran regime-change options as diplomacy falters.By World Israel News StaffElements of the Trump administration are again considering ways to bring down Iran’s government after renewed fighting and failed diplomacy left Washington without a clear path to ending the conflict, according to the Financial Times.The discussions do not appear to represent a formally adopted US policy, and President Donald Trump has not announced a decision to pursue regime change. Officials are nevertheless examining economic, political and covert options intended to weaken Tehran from within as the administration questions whether negotiations can permanently restrain Iran.The renewed interest follows the collapse of a temporary agreement intended to halt the fighting, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and revive negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. American airstrikes have since resumed, while Iran has continued attacking US forces, regional infrastructure and commercial shipping.Washington’s immediate objectives remain restoring toll-free navigation through Hormuz and imposing restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities. Former defense secretary Mark Esper, however, has warned that airstrikes alone are unlikely to force Tehran to relinquish control of the waterway.“I’m not confident that, if we picked up the bombing the way we did months ago and sustained it for a period of time, that that would have a big change,” Esper told the Financial Times.Esper said the United States would instead have to “strangle” Iran economically to alter the government’s calculations. He argued that Tehran remained determined to “keep control of the strait,” through which a large share of the world’s traded oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes.The administration has already restored a blockade of Iranian oil exports and expanded sanctions against shipping networks accused of helping Tehran evade restrictions. US officials reportedly believe that depriving Iran of most of its oil revenue could produce a severe economic crisis within months.The Treasury Department last week imposed new sanctions on a shipping network associated with Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, saying it helped Iran move oil and other commodities through a global collection of companies and vessels. The designations covered more than 200 individuals, businesses and ships.The pressure campaign is intended not only to reduce Iran’s ability to finance missiles, drones and military operations, but also to deepen internal strains facing the government.That strategy carries uncertain prospects. Interviews conducted by Reuters in southern Iran found widespread anger over economic hardship, failing infrastructure and government neglect, but little indication that American attacks were generating an organized uprising. Several residents who opposed the clerical establishment nevertheless blamed the United States for power cuts, water shortages and growing insecurity.Iranian authorities have historically responded to periods of unrest with mass arrests, executions, communications restrictions and deployments of security forces, particularly in Kurdish and other minority regions.US and Israeli officials are also reportedly searching for figures inside Iran who might cooperate in an effort to replace the current leadership.The Financial Times reported that Israel unsuccessfully attempted to cultivate former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an extraordinary possibility given his long history of threats against Israel and denial or minimization of the Holocaust.There is no indication that the outreach produced an agreement or that Ahmadinejad was prepared to participate in a US- or Israeli-backed transition.The episode reflects a broader problem facing Washington: Iran has no unified opposition movement with an obvious leader, substantial support across the country and the ability to take control if the existing government collapses.Before the war began, US intelligence reportedly assessed that removing Iran’s supreme leader might not produce a more moderate government. Analysts warned that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or another hardline faction could take control, potentially creating a leadership even more militarized than the one it replaced.Trump nonetheless said in March that the United States should have a role in determining Iran’s future leadership.“We have to have a say,” Trump told Reuters at the time, arguing that Washington should help ensure that Iran’s next ruler was acceptable to the Iranian population and did not threaten neighboring countries.The administration may also reconsider support for Iranian Kurdish factions based across the border in northern Iraq.Several Kurdish organizations discussed a possible operation against Iranian security forces with American officials during the opening phase of the war. The groups sought weapons, intelligence and air support that could allow them to enter western Iran and encourage a wider revolt.Trump initially described the prospect of a Kurdish assault as “wonderful,” but days later said the administration had ruled it out.“We are not looking to the Kurds going in,” he said at the time.Israel had pushed more strongly for the operation, viewing Kurdish forces as a possible ground component capable of exploiting damage caused by American and Israeli airstrikes. Washington resisted amid concerns about the groups’ military strength, the risk of ethnic conflict and likely opposition from Turkey, Iraq and other regional governments.According to the Financial Times, that option may now return for consideration as officials search for alternatives to prolonged bombing or a large American ground deployment.The post US considering plan to overthrow Iranian regime – report appeared first on World Israel News.