Iran does not seek to reform; it seeks rearmament and revenge. Regime change is therefore not optional; it is essential.By Majid Rafizadeh, Gatestone InstituteIran’s regime must be understood for what it is: a heavily armed group of thugs and, according to the US government, “the largest state sponsor of terrorism” for 39 years in a row.Iran’s regime holds power through brute force that terrorizes not only its neighbors and the broader world through proxies, ballistic missiles, and imminent nuclear capability, but also its own population of roughly 93 million.Decades of repression, of “exporting the revolution,” and ideological extremism have defined its identity, firmly rooted in anti-Americanism, anti-Semitism, and contempt for its own citizens.In 1979, 1999, 2009, 2017-2018, 2019, 2022, late 2025 and early 2026, the Iranian people rose up in massive nationwide protests against economic collapse, repression, and governance failures.Each time, the regime responded with ruthless massacres—the latest in January 2026, when security forces imposed blackouts and fired on civilian protesters with machine guns and sniper rifles.Iran’s regime, according to US President Donald J. Trump, killed “at least 42,000 protestors” in days.Iran’s regime—with hundreds of thousands of armed men in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Basij militia, and other security forces—maintains control with zero restraint over its citizenry.Millions of unarmed civilians, no matter how courageous, cannot easily overcome such force.The Trump administration, working with Israel, took a strong initial step through targeted strikes that significantly degraded Iran’s military infrastructure, nuclear capabilities, and power projection.Bombing alone, however, has not altered the regime’s core ideology or psychopathic brutality. Iran’s regime continues its anti-American posture, support for proxies, and internal repression.It does not seek to reform; it seeks rearmament and revenge. Regime change is therefore not optional; it is essential.Deploying U.S. ground forces on Iranian soil would be costly in lives and resources.The brave Iranian people themselves represent millions of “boots on the ground”—if only they would have the means to defend themselves to shift the balance of power.The American colonies’ successful fight for independence from Britain relied heavily on armed citizens.Colonial militias and minutemen — ordinary people with their own firearms — played a decisive role from the opening shots at Lexington and Concord through key battles.Without an armed populace ready to resist, the ragtag forces could not have sustained the long struggle against a professional army.The American right to bear arms was not an afterthought; it was fundamental to throwing off tyranny.US Senator Lindsey Graham recently advocated a “Second Amendment solution”:“I love the idea of a Second Amendment solution for the Iranian people… If I were President Trump and I were Israel, I would load the Iranian people up with weapons so they could go to the streets armed and turn the tide of battle inside Iran… Give them the weapons so they can rise up like we did to destroy this regime.”Trump, too, noted that the Iranian people lack weapons to counter regime snipers and forces.Iran shares land borders with Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Armenia.Creative, secure channels — working with opposition groups and dissidents inside Iran — must be used to deliver arms, ammunition, and defensive tools directly to the Iranian people.This is not about creating chaos but restoring balance so that the regime’s despots cannot simply, with impunity, continue to mow down unarmed crowds.The principle of a citizenry’s right to bear arms, proven vital in American history, applies here as well.In Iran, this could neutralize the regime’s embedded enforcers city by city without requiring foreign occupation.Parallel to arming Iranian civilians, the U.S. and allies must maintain maximum economic pressure: blockades, sanctions, and isolation that starve the regime of resources for repression and adventurism.There are situations where even mountains of diplomacy do not work. Did Germany’s Adolf Hitler or Japan’s Prime Minister Hideki Tojo disarm and reform?In short: Arm the Iranian people. Shut down the regime economically. Let the Iranians themselves determine their future.This is the clear lesson from Iran’s repeated uprisings that were crushed by superior firepower and the lesson of America’s own founding.The Iranian people have shown their will. Regime change through the Iranian people, empowered and protected, is the only durable solution.The post Finish the job on Iran appeared first on World Israel News.