Some Iranians who hoped the war would bring positive changes tell News themezone they now feel

Before the United States and Israel launched their joint attacks on Iran 25 days ago, many Iranians said they would welcome foreign intervention if it meant the end of the Islamic Republic. The regime, in power for 47 years, had just crushed a huge wave of anti-government demonstrations, with President Trump claiming that more than 30,000 people were killed and promising to come to the rescue of the protesters.

Now, two Iranians, one inside and one outside the country, tell News themezone that the feeling of optimism has changed markedly after more than three weeks of war.

“If we had a global situation where Europe and the rest of the world were more orchestrated and together, collectively, with a plan that combined a number of things, both force and diplomacy and sanctions and discussions, all kinds of things – a long-term plan – then that could have worked with this regime,” said Reza, a British-Iranian whose name News themezone changed to protect his identity. “But having just one or two countries, you know, coming in unilaterally without a proper plan? It’s never going to work. That’s why I think people are waking up to this rude awakening, realizing that they’re basically doomed.”

Reza, who is in the United Kingdom, said he has spoken to many other Iranians in the diaspora who feel the same way.

Iran “is really getting the upper hand on Trump, in the sense that they realize he doesn’t have a strategy. So they’re really using that to their advantage to gain more strength and more forward-looking planning.” Strait of Hormuzand suffocating the world, because they know that’s basically where the weakness of the entire world is,” Reza said.

Inside Iran, Amir – whose name has also been changed to protect his identity – echoed the sentiment.

“Many people who were pro-war and assumed that war could be liberating, liberating them from despotism in Iran and theocratic despotic regimes, are now thinking twice and revising, and they are reaching a ceasefire at any time, no matter who the boss is. No matter who the king is,” Amir said. “Anything that can say ‘okay, enough is enough and there’s a ceasefire until further notice.'”

Amir said he was anticipating “hellish weeks to come,” in which both the Iranian regime and the Trump administration would fall into, in his view, “brinkmanship.”

Meanwhile, opposition groups in Iran “have no [a] a viable and functional coalition to lift even a finger,” Amir said, casting doubt on calls by the Trump administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the Iranians to take advantage of the ongoing attacks to rise up and overthrow the regime from within.

In Amir’s opinion, it seems that Trump “can’t find a way out of the disaster.”