Iranian opponents skeptical of Israeli calls for regime change

TEHRAN

A significant segment of Iran’s opposition has remained deeply skeptical of recent Israeli appeals for uprising and regime change in Iran.

Israel launched a targeted strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities on June 13, triggering a cycle of missile exchanges between the two nations. However, Israeli rhetoric has expanded beyond nuclear deterrence to openly advocating for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has positioned his country as a supporter of the Iranian people, even hinting at plans to assassinate Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—an idea also echoed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Netanyahu also said his military campaign could pave the way for Iranians to liberate themselves from a repressive regime.

Iranian state television was hacked, broadcasting anti-regime imagery and calls for insurrection on June 18. Earlier, exiled Iranian royal Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah, urged Iran’s military and civil servants to join what he called a nationwide uprising, proclaiming that the regime’s collapse had already begun.

Yet, many long-standing Iranian dissidents rejected these calls when they originate from foreign actors.

They argued that any authentic change must be driven organically by Iranians, not imposed externally.

“We want to get our freedom on our own terms, not through U.S. bombs,” an Iranian athlete told The Guardian.

Another young artist from Tehran added, “It’s funny how they call this ‘exporting democracy’ while they always have paralyzed all the democratic institutions in those countries.”

“Look at Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq – they destroyed the countries, then walked away.”

Still, a minority within the opposition argued that the Iranian people alone lack the capacity to topple the regime.

A 24-year-old student activist from eastern Tehran pointed to the mass protests following the death of Mahsa Amini who was imprisoned in 2022 for defying the mandatory hijab law and died in custody, as one of the most significant uprising attempts in recent history— yet ultimately unsuccessful despite weeks of nationwide demonstrations.

"We could never get rid of the Islamic Republic on our own. Now, someone from outside is helping us."