Good question. From the conversations that I’ve had with Iranians, it’s unclear. The regime is too embedded. There’s no easy answer. Killing Mojtaba would be a good start.

Anti-regime Iranians are basically holding onto any sliver of hope that they can regain their country.

Of course, it’s all very unlikely, but I can’t help sympathizing with them. I think their cause is just. I think a non-theocratic Iran that could rejoin the global economy is a dream worth fighting for.

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simonh 3 hours ago | parent [-]

Wasn't killing his father a good start? If it wasn't, why would killing him make a significant difference?

I'd love to see a democratic Iran, but this was was utterly pointless and counterproductive.

	▲	RiverStone 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		It was a great start. Iranians celebrated his death, which made me happy. I think one idea is that if you can kill enough regime leaders, perhaps a moderate leader may emerge? Or perhaps there may be a military coup? Which may be a lesser of two evils? The Iranians I’ve spoken to don’t feel like it was counterproductive. They actually feel like Trump has done more than any other president to damage the regime. What’s the alternative? More economic sanctions? The status quo of the last 40+ years has accomplished nothing. Anti-regime Iranians want action. They want us to make a move. We killed a lot of regime leaders and destroyed their military capability. That’s something. Now we have to see how that chess move played out.