Trump speaks of possible "regime change" in Iran after the attack on its nuclear facilities.

Donald Trump raised the possibility of "regime change" in Iran following the US bombing of its nuclear facilities, contradicting his administration's insistence that the operation's objectives were limited.

In a series of social media posts, the US president praised the return to Missouri of the B-2 bombers that participated in the mission, stated that the damage to Iran's nuclear facilities was "enormous," and raised a scenario in which the Tehran regime could collapse.

"It's not politically correct to use the term 'regime change,' but if the current Iranian regime can't MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN (MIGA), why wouldn't it consider regime change?" Trump wrote on Truth Social. "MIGA!" he added.

Trump's comments on Tehran come after senior officials in his administration said they were not seeking a different government in Iran.

"Our position has been very clear: we do not want regime change. We want to end their nuclear program and then talk to the Iranians about a long-term agreement," US Vice President JD Vance told NBC on Sunday.

Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil, rose as much as 5.7% to $81.40, its highest in five months, before reducing positions to trade 1.4% higher at $78.12 in London.

As Iran and Israel exchanged renewed airstrikes early Monday, Iran's top military official asserted that his military has the right to retaliate against U.S. interests following Washington's attack on the Islamic Republic, while indicating that the primary response could be directed against Israel.

Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi said the US strikes meant his military "is fully authorized to take any action against the US military and its interests, and we will never back down from these measures."

Any US measures aimed at regime change could mean further US involvement in the conflict, something many Democrats and even some Republicans fear .

The Sunday morning attacks in Iran already represent an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, which has been in crisis since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023. They came just over a week after Israel launched missiles at Iran and Tehran responded by attacking targets in Israel.

The United States claimed to have inflicted "significant damage and destruction" on Iran's nuclear facilities. The White House believes the operation could harm the Islamic Republic without provoking a military or political reaction from the ayatollahs' regime.

The operation, dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer, saw the first use of the 13,600 kg GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb, believed to be the only one capable of penetrating Iran's underground Fordow nuclear plant. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth declared Fordow the "primary target."

US bombers also attacked the Natanz nuclear power plant. A nuclear submarine was also used to fire Tomahawk missiles at the Isfahan facilities.

Although Vance claimed the United States had "destroyed the Iranian nuclear program" and Trump declared it "obliterated," Pentagon officials were more cautious while awaiting a full assessment.

"It will take some time to determine the full extent of the damage, but initial assessments indicate that all three sites suffered significant damage and destruction," said General Dan Caine.

However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the United States had "crossed a red line" with its bombing.

Tehran responded with more attacks against Israel, wounding 16 people. Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned the United States of a "cautionary response" that could target US military bases in the Middle East.

The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen also announced they would resume attacks on US vessels in the Red Sea . Some politicians in Tehran called on Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz to disrupt oil supplies from the Gulf.

US officials said they had no plans to carry out further attacks unless Iran responded.

"There are no military operations planned right now against Iran, unless they attack [the United States] or its interests; in that case, they'll have a problem," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that his country was close to achieving the objectives of its military campaign in Iran.

"We embarked on this mission to eliminate these two specific threats: the nuclear threat and the ballistic missile threat. We are very close to achieving them," Netanyahu declared at a press conference.

The United Kingdom, France, and Germany urged Iran to negotiate a new nuclear deal with the West.

China and Russia condemned the US attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called it a "direct threat to international peace and security."

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