President Donald Trump recently rejected a proposal from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly call for an uprising among the Iranian people. Trump’s concern was that such a move would lead to a massacre. This disagreement points to a clear difference in how the two leaders view the goals of the ongoing conflict with Iran.
“Why the hell should we tell people to take to the streets when they’ll just get mowed down,” Trump reportedly told Netanyahu. While both the U.S. and Israel agree on most military objectives, they differ on the question of regime change in Iran. Netanyahu sees creating the conditions for a popular uprising as a core Israeli goal, but U.S. officials say Trump views regime change more as a “bonus” rather than a primary aim.
According to Axios, this disagreement came after major Israeli military actions last Tuesday. Israeli forces killed Ali Larijani, Iran’s national security chief and acting leader, along with Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of the Basij militia, and several of his deputies. Israeli officials said that killing Soleimani was specifically meant to open the door for a popular uprising, since he was responsible for crushing protests.
Netanyahu moved ahead on his own after Trump refused to back a joint call for Iranian protests
A few hours after the strikes, Netanyahu called Trump and said the Iranian regime was in disarray. He saw this as a window of opportunity and suggested that he and Trump issue a joint public call for Iranians to take to the streets.
Trump refused, saying he was seriously concerned that thousands of people would be killed. The broader U.S. military campaign has not been without complications either, with reports of costly setbacks for U.S. forces in the region adding pressure to the situation. The two leaders agreed to wait and see if Iranians would come out during the annual Festival of Fire the following day.
But Netanyahu did not wait. He went public on his own, speaking from air force headquarters. “Our aircraft are striking terrorist operatives on the ground, on roads and in public squares. This is meant to allow the brave Iranian people to celebrate the Festival of Fire. So go out and celebrate…we are watching from above,” Netanyahu said.
Despite his public call, very few Iranians came out the next day. Both U.S. and Israeli officials attributed this to fear of how the regime would respond to any large-scale protest. A few days later, Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, explained that the goal remains to weaken the regime to the point where it can no longer suppress opposition.
“Hopefully that would trigger that combustion point where the people are able to take charge of their own lives… I think we can degrade this regime to the point that it collapses from the air. The boots on the ground have to be Iranian boots,” he said.
While the military campaign is still ongoing and the U.S. is considering options for further escalation, Trump is also exploring a diplomatic path that could leave what remains of the current Iranian regime in place. Trump has already claimed the Iran power transition as a success despite the deaths of all U.S.-backed leaders. Netanyahu, however, remains skeptical that any acceptable deal can be reached anytime soon, according to Israeli officials.
Published: Mar 26, 2026 09:25 am