The President’s Inbox SPECIAL EPISODE | Trump Chooses War With Iran, With Dalia Dassa Kaye
13 snips
Mar 2, 2026 
Dalia Dassa Kaye, a UCLA international-relations scholar and author on U.S.-Iran policy, walks through the decision to strike Iran and whether it aims for regime change. She breaks down targeting choices, Iran’s likely asymmetric retaliation, regional reactions from Gulf states, risks around nuclear sites and leadership decapitation, and what signals to watch next.
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Protests And A Presidential Promise Shifted Strategy
- The Trump administration moved from limited strikes to a broader campaign after Iran's brutal suppression of mass protests and the president's public promise that "help was on the way".
- Dalia Dassa Kaye links the January protests and Trump's messaging to a large military buildup and an apparent shift toward regime-change aims rather than narrowly finishing the nuclear job.
Negotiations Fell Apart Over Indefinite Enrichment Suspension
- U.S. demands in Oman-mediated talks mirrored pre-June demands: indefinite suspension of enrichment and limits on missiles, which Iran saw as non-starters tied to its deterrence needs.
- Kaye says Iran viewed missiles as essential to survival and therefore was unwilling to accept indefinite suspension even amid negotiations.
Air Campaign Without Ground Forces Makes Regime Change Implausible
- The campaign relies on air, naval, and strike assets without a ground invasion, making genuine regime change unlikely because past successful removals required boots or an organized internal opposition.
- Kaye notes strikes targeted top leadership first, then missiles, indicating goals beyond a narrowly focused nuclear strike but without a mechanism to install a new government from the air.
