US lawmaker denies regime change planned for Iran

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have urged Iranians to topple their government

The US is not targeting Iranian leaders and is not trying to replace the Islamic Republic’s government, Representative Mike Turner has said.

The US and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials.

US President Donald Trump framed the attack, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, as retaliation for decades of grievances and as an opportunity for anti-government forces in Iran to seize control of the country – mirroring calls by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The president of the United States indicated that we were targeting the military, military infrastructure and not the regime, and not regime change,” Turner said on Sunday on CBS News’ ‘Face the Nation’.

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The lawmaker, a former senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed to him on Saturday that “we did not target Khamenei and we were not targeting the leadership in Iran.”

Asked whether this means that Israel killed Khamenei without US approval, Turner deflected, calling the Iranian leader’s death proof that “it’s better to be a friend of the United States than a murderous authoritarian.”

The White House is scheduled to brief Congress on the operation on Tuesday. The attack came days before a debate on a proposed war powers resolution that could have hindered the administration’s plans had it not been delayed. The bill is backed by lawmakers seeking to reinforce Congress’ constitutional authority to declare war.

Trump’s decision to approve a risky military operation – contradicting his campaign promises to avoid foreign entanglements – has sparked widespread speculation on American political podcasts about what swayed him.

READ MORE: Next Iranian leader should be killed too if hostile to US – senator

The speculation ranges from a ‘sugar rush’ following the successful abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January, to Israel threatening a unilateral strike involving its undeclared nuclear weapons, to blackmail linked to late financier Jeffrey Epstein, a suspected Israeli intelligence asset.