The Blogs: How can the US and Israel make Iran Surrender?

After sixteen days of incessant bombing, the US and Israel clearly haven’t brought regime change with aerial bombing alone. Israel’s hopes for drawing out the Iranian people by weakening the regime’s police states has not yet materialized. But the need for a new regime that completely dismantles the present system is necessary. So, how can the United States and Israel prevent a quagmire in which the headless, apocalyptic regime persists for the next few decades? The US and Israel must make a surrender deal with the regime at this time, and know with whom to make it.

Legendary journalist Amir Taheri stated earlier today that the way President Trump commands the regime of Iran to “surrender!” on social media, may be because “President Trump probably has watched a lot of John Wayne movies in which the opponent in a gunfight comes out unarmed, holding a white flag, but the way the regime leaders are being peeled away, there may be nobody to make a surrender deal with.”

Mr. Taheri’s point is valid and critical. Although there is no doubt that Iran’s regime must be completely razed and a new regime must be started, an opponent is necessary to compel a surrender from in order to change the regime in Iran. The regime’s dreaded army, the IRGC, is mounting a scorched earth campaign, blocking the oil supply and bombing their own Arab allies while continuing to torture and execute Iranian civilians. But their abject destructiveness points to a terrorist regime that could hold the world hostage for the next few decades. How can the US and Israel prevent such a tragedy?

The last most visible vestige of the current, diabolical regime, is President Masoud Pezeshkian, and the US and Israel should coerce President Pezeshkian to surrender on behalf of the IRGC and Supreme Leader’s office. Although he is not constitutionally permitted to do so, the lack of a visible and functioning Supreme Leader and the fact that many IRGC commanders have been eliminated means the US and Israel have an exceptional opportunity.

As the last figure “elected” by the nine million religious Iranians in rote presidential “elections”, religious Iranians probably would agree to a surrender rather than risk certain death. These nine million religious people truly believed they “freely” voted for him, and would be horrified if the IRGC turned on him, as they very likely shall do. Therefore, talking to Pezeshkian could also divide the Islamic Republic by driving a wedge between those who “voted” for Pezeshkian and the IRGC leaders currently leading a scorched earth war against the entire world.

Mr. Pezeshkian is also the last visible, living regime figure alive who can try to provide, albeit unwillingly, a path to a smoother transition that can and should involve a coalition of genuine opposition groups, including the poor, labor unions, professionals, young people, women, ethnic minorities, religious people, monarchists, leftists, and more.

Pezeshkian must be held responsible for protecting alternative Iranian leaders during the transition to something diametrically opposed to the current Islamist regime, and more importantly, the elimination of the institution of the Supreme Leadership and theocracy. This current system should be completely dismantled, never again to be invoked except as a monumental mistake in Iran’s history books.

This imperfect solution may provide the best pathway for the most pluralistic choice of Iran’s future government. It’s time for diaspora Iranians to lend their support to make such a surrender process occur.