Members of Iranian rescue teams search for victims after a building was hit by U.S.-Israeli airstrikes in Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 3, 2026.imago
Donald Trump had promised regime change in Iran, but now Tehran’s leadership is even more radical than before. The disappointment is immense.
April 9, 2026, 10:20 p.mApr 9, 2026, 10:26 p.m
Nilofar Breuer / t-online
At first there was great relief at the international level: On Wednesday night, the USA and Iran agreed on a ceasefire in the Iran war. US President Donald Trump described the move as a “total and complete victory” for Washington, while the Iranian regime in turn spoke of a “great victory” for Tehran.
But there is one loser in particular in the war in Iran so far: the civilian population. The relief of the people in the country was limited to the fact that Trump did not wipe out all civilization in Iran, as he had threatened on Tuesday. A look back shows why the frustration is now even greater after this brief moment of relief.
At the beginning of January, the Iranian regime brutally suppressed mass protests in the country. According to human rights activists, security forces loyal to the regime killed thousands of people and tens of thousands were arrested. Trump then played on the fears and hopes of the population. First he held out the prospect of regime change as the goal of the war – then he shifted the responsibility for regime change to the Iranian people. They should “take over” the government when the USA is finished with the bombing.
Trump speaks of regime change in Iran
On Tuesday, the US President claimed that the US had achieved a regime change in Iran towards a more moderate leadership in the country. Observers contradict this and point out that after the killing of the Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shortly after the outbreak of the war, the Revolutionary Guards now have greater influence and are more radical. Khamenei’s son, Moschtaba Khamenei, was officially appointed as the new spiritual leader. However, he has not appeared in public since then.
Moschtaba Khamenei: The new Iranian ruler is said to be seriously injured.Image: keystone
Now, while Tehran’s Washington boasts of each other’s victories, disappointment is reaching a new low: the basis for the negotiations scheduled to take place in Pakistan tomorrow, Friday, is primarily about uranium enrichment and the Strait of Hormuz – an end to the oppression of the people of Iran is no longer up for debate.
Fear among Tehran’s population is growing
“It’s not really good if the Islamic Republic emerges as the winner in the end,” said a 40-year-old resident of Tehran, who wished to remain anonymous, in an interview with the AFP news agency. “They have more self-confidence. They kill more people. They continue to keep the internet blocked. Everything will get much worse.”
The agency also cited Simin, a 48-year-old teacher from the Iranian capital. Although she was initially relieved about the ceasefire, the continued existence of the Iranian regime was just as frightening. “I’m happy for a few seconds when I think that the bombing will stop, but I’m afraid of news of executions that are no easier to cope with than the bombs.”
Even during the conflict, the Iranian regime continued to carry out executions as a means of intimidation and repression: since the war began on February 28, the regime has hanged seven people in connection with the January protests, according to consistent media reports.
Trump claimed in mid-January that the Iranian regime had assured him that it would suspend executions. It was probably already clear to the Iranian population at this point that the alleged assurances were unlikely to come true. The hope of ending the oppression through a regime change was all the greater.
“People realized that it was never about them.”
According to AFP, 34-year-old Armin said that if the war ended and the Islamic Republic remained, “it would be of no use to the people.” “The Islamic Republic will make the people pay for all the losses they suffered during the war,” he said.
“The people of Iran have increasingly realized that this war was never about them or their rights,” said Mahmood-Amiry Moghaddam, director of the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR). “The escalation of repression and executions will continue regardless of the war, as the authorities see their own people as the greatest threat,” he said, according to AFP.
Pahlavi contradicts Trump and calls for change in Iran
In the meantime, the Shah’s son Reza Pahlavi also spoke out and insisted on a political upheaval in Iran. “We hope (…) that the free world understands that the only solution – not only for us, but also for all our neighbors in the region and for the whole world – is that this regime is no longer in power,” said Pahlavi in an interview with the French broadcaster LCI.
Reza Pahlavi: The Shah’s son lives in the USA.Image: keystone
Monarchist groups see the son of the last Shah of Persia as the political leader of the Iranian opposition. It is unclear how much support Pahlavi, who lives in exile in the US, actually has in the country.
Pahlavi also emphasized that it was the same people, “perhaps somewhat weakened,” who were still in power in Iran. “For us this is not a regime change,” he said. “There has to be a clear cut.” During the violent suppression of the protests in January, “too much blood was shed,” said Pahlavi. It is time to “put an end to this regime, like a wounded animal that needs to be killed.”
Negotiations scheduled during fragile ceasefire
Direct talks between the USA and Iran are planned for the first time since February in the Pakistani capital Islamabad from Friday. The Iranian delegation is expected there on Thursday evening. However, the agreed ceasefire is already fragile due to renewed mutual attacks between Israel and the Lebanese arm of the terrorist organization Hezbollah.
“Despite the skepticism among the Iranian public due to repeated violations of the ceasefire by the Israeli regime,” the Iranian delegation will arrive on Thursday to “hold serious talks based on the ten points proposed by Iran,” Reza Amiri Moghadam, Iranian ambassador to Pakistan, said on Platform X.
The USA is also keeping its finger on the trigger. “All U.S. ships, aircraft and military personnel, along with additional ammunition, weapons and anything else appropriate and necessary for the lethal pursuit and destruction of an already significantly weakened enemy, will remain stationed in and around Iran until the REAL AGREEMENT is fully adhered to,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. At the same time, Trump is threatening renewed attacks if Iran does not comply with the agreement.
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