The only way to defeat Iran's ruling regime "is to defeat it militarily," Dr. Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, told Newsmax on Sunday.
Appearing on "Sunday Agenda" with co-hosts Joe Pinion and Charly Arnolt, Diker argued that President Donald Trump should maintain maximum military and economic pressure on Tehran, warning the Islamic regime remains committed to destroying both the United States and Israel despite ongoing negotiations.
"They mean every word of it," Diker said of chants of "Death to America" and "Kill Trump" heard during funeral ceremonies for Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
"We have to keep their feet to the fire because they will do everything in their power to carry out their threats to America."
Diker said while most Iranians oppose the ruling regime, the country's leadership still controls the military and security apparatus.
"I would say 70 or 80 million out of the 91 million Iranians reject this regime," he said. "But the regime still stands. The regime has power, the regime has weapons."
He argued that diplomacy alone cannot stop Tehran.
"The only way to defeat this regime is to defeat it militarily," Diker said. "It can be done, but it requires strategic patience."
Diker praised Trump for severely weakening Iran through joint U.S.-Israeli military operations but suggested the administration eased pressure too quickly.
"President Trump began on the right foot," he said. "He almost completely destroyed the regime, and then he took his foot off the gas pedal."
Diker urged the president not to allow Tehran time to rebuild its military or nuclear capabilities.
"Keep their feet to the fire," Diker said. "Do not let them recover."
Diker warned Iran could use newly available oil revenues to finance renewed aggression, claiming the regime would continue enriching uranium and expanding its ballistic missile program if given the opportunity.
Asked who is currently running Iran following Khamenei's death, Diker said intelligence assessments indicate Khamenei's son, Mojtaba, has been seriously injured, leaving the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps effectively in control.
"The IRGC, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is the hardcore military revolutionary structure. They are in charge," he said.
Diker argued sustained military pressure and economic sanctions could eventually fracture the Revolutionary Guards and lead to the regime's collapse.
"This is America's war to win," he said. "Israel is the junior partner, but we will be right there with the United States to defeat this really evil regime."
The Trump administration has maintained that Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon while continuing to pressure Tehran through sanctions, military deterrence, and negotiations aimed at curbing its nuclear and missile programs.
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