President Donald Trump made it clear Tuesday that he’s not looking to overthrow Iran’s government, even after unleashing one of the most daring U.S. airstrikes in modern history on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities. Speaking aboard Air Force One en route to the NATO summit in the Netherlands, Trump told reporters, “No, I don’t want it,” when asked whether regime change in Iran was on the table. “Regime change takes chaos, and ideally, we don’t want to see so much chaos.”
His comments come just days after the U.S. struck three major Iranian nuclear sites—Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan—in a mission that required the use of America’s most powerful bunker-busting bomb, the 15-ton Massive Ordnance Penetrator, deployed via the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. Israel, notably, doesn’t possess that aircraft, making this clearly a U.S.-led operation.
Despite the aggressive show of force, Trump insists his objective is not another endless war. According to the New York Post, Trump warned his inner circle he doesn’t want “another Libya”—a reference to the Obama-era intervention that led to regime collapse, civil war, and a haven for terrorists.
The message: bomb Iran’s nuclear capabilities, yes—but leave the regime in place.
Trump’s effort to de-escalate appears to be working, at least on paper. On Monday night, he announced that both Iran and Israel had “fully agreed” to a “complete and total ceasefire,” set to take effect within hours. But by Tuesday morning, that agreement was already under stress.
“Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs,” Trump complained to reporters. “I’m not happy with Israel… When I say, ‘Okay, now you have twelve hours,’ you don’t go out in the first hour and just drop everything you have on them.”
He added that Iran had also violated the terms, and expressed open frustration with both sides. “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard, that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing,” Trump said bluntly.
The president even took to Truth Social with a furious all-caps directive: “ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!”
It’s a new side of Trump’s foreign policy—militarily muscular but wary of nation-building. Unlike past presidents, Trump seems determined to keep the lid on regime change efforts, even after punishing strikes.
Back home, Trump made clear that his eyes are now turning back to domestic issues. In another Truth Social post, he urged Congress to pass what he’s calling “THE GREAT, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL”—a still-undefined legislative package aimed at jumpstarting the next phase of his “America First” agenda.
“We are finally entering our Golden Age,” Trump wrote. “To my friends in the Senate, lock yourself in a room if you must, don’t go home, and GET THE DEAL DONE THIS WEEK.”
After taking bold action abroad, Trump is signaling he’s ready to pivot toward peace, prosperity, and rebuilding at home. But with Israel and Iran still on edge, and American troops on high alert, the path forward remains anything but simple.
