Trump Urges Iranians To Topple Iran’s Regime As U.S. Strikes Larak Island

Strikes, casualties, and escalation

The latest flare-up in the U.S.-Iran conflict followed U.S. strikes on Larak Island earlier this week, prompting Iran to retaliate and intensify attacks across Iran’s southern coast over the past 24 hours. Iranian media reported explosions in coastal areas including Konarak, Bandar Abbas, Jask and Asaluyeh, as well as Qeshm Island, and Iranian authorities said at least 18 people had been killed across the country in the latest strikes. One flashpoint was a U.S. strike on Kuhestak, where Iranian officials said a house was hit while a wedding celebration was underway, and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said at least four people were killed and more than 68 others, including women and children, were wounded.

Footage released by the Iranian Red Crescent showed a damaged building with blown-out windows and walls, while locals criticized the latest American attacks as Iran responded with attacks that went beyond U.S. targets inside the country. In the same escalation cycle, the U.S. and Israel had launched joint strikes on Iran six months ago, and WION says Trump urged Iranians to topple their country’s regime in a speech delivered as the conflict unfolded.

Reporting for this sectionWION

Trump’s regime-change message

As fighting continued and diplomacy remained stalled, Trump returned to regime-change language on social media, asking, "When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?"

CNN frames the shift as a return to an idea Trump began the war with six months ago, noting that the call for a government takeover quickly faded into the more urgent imperative of negotiating to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

WION similarly says Trump posted an eight-minute video during the overlapping hours of February 28 and March 1, urging Iranians that "when we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take."

CNN adds that Trump’s regime-change advocacy resurfaced after a period of relative calm was punctured by U.S. and Iran trading strikes over three consecutive days.

Both outlets describe the conflict’s pattern of retaliation and the renewed focus on internal pressure, with CNN saying there are currently no substantive attempts at returning to diplomacy after Trump ordered his envoys to halt discussions with Iran last month.

Reporting for this sectionCNNWION

Economic pressure and wider stakes

Beyond battlefield escalation, the sources tie the next phase of the campaign to economic pressure, with WION saying Washington shifted its focus towards economic pressure on Iran by imposing fresh sanctions and threatening to further weaken the country. The Christian Science Monitor reports that ordinary Iranians say they are paying the price of U.S.-Israeli war through "a vicious cycle" of economic strain, quoting Roya on how "our tables are shrinking by the day" and "we are constantly running and running." The Monitor also says the White House imposed new measures promising to turn years of “maximum pressure” sanctions into an even more stringent “economic D-Day,” while Roya described the “real pain” as "there is no clear prospect" for the coming years.

CNN adds that Trump’s strategy included trying to choke off Tehran’s finances, including by threatening sanctions on its largest trading partners, and it says officials privately acknowledge average Iranians will bear the brunt of the new sanctions. In the same reporting, CNN quotes Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian saying, "We are apologetic that these problems exist, as we find ourselves in a full-scale economic, military, and security war," underscoring the stakes described by both sides as the conflict continues.

Reporting for this sectionThe Christian Science MonitorCNN