While Iran's despotic Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei clings to power amid massive demonstrations and government crackdowns, national security experts are sounding the alarm: the regime's terrorist tentacles will remain dangerous even if the mullahs fall.
President Trump didn't mince words in a Sunday interview, calling Khamenei a "sick man" and declaring "it's time to look for new leadership in Iran." But intelligence officials warn that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has built such an extensive global terror network that decapitating the regime won't immediately neutralize the threat to American interests worldwide.
Terror Network Spans the Globe
The IRGC has spent decades embedding operatives across multiple continents, funding proxy armies from Lebanon's Hezbollah to Yemen's Houthis. These terror cells don't simply vanish when Tehran's leadership changes – they've been designed to operate independently while serving Iran's anti-American agenda.
"The Revolutionary Guard has created a monster that's bigger than any single leader," warns former CIA operative Michael Pregent. "Even if Khamenei falls tomorrow, we're looking at years of cleanup operations to dismantle their global infrastructure."
This reality presents both opportunities and challenges for President Trump's America First agenda as he works to restore American strength on the world stage.
The timing couldn't be more critical. As Iranian citizens risk their lives demanding freedom from the mullahs' oppressive rule, the Trump administration must prepare for the complex aftermath of potential regime collapse. The IRGC's extensive weapons stockpiles, sleeper cells, and financial networks won't simply disappear overnight.
Trump's Strategic Advantage
Unlike his predecessor's disastrous Iran nuclear deal that enriched the terror state, President Trump understands that true peace requires dismantling Iran's entire terrorist apparatus – not just removing figureheads.
The question facing patriots today: Are we prepared for the long-term fight against Iran's terror network, even as we celebrate the potential fall of the regime that created it?