Former foreign policy adviser and author Walid Phares told Newsmax on Sunday that the Iranian people might offer the best path to increasing pressure on Tehran's ruling regime as the Trump administration seeks to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Phares told "Wake Up America Weekend" that Iran's leaders have yet to demonstrate a genuine commitment to peace despite ongoing indirect negotiations with the United States.
"What it means if the regime continues to do what they're doing, meaning promise that they are negotiating, promise that they are sending a draft and then lobbing missiles on our allies or against our own positions, it means that Tehran, the rulers in Tehran, have not made their decision to actually go to peace," Phares said.
His comments came after U.S. Central Command said American forces intercepted two Iranian attack drones targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The development followed Iranian missile launches Saturday against U.S. allies Kuwait and Bahrain, which both countries condemned.
Phares praised President Donald Trump's position that Iran will not receive access to frozen assets without a meaningful agreement.
"I'm glad President Trump now is stating that this regime is not going to get money. It's not going to get those billions unless there is a real peace, meaning a deal that would lead to peace," he said.
Asked about alternatives if Tehran refuses to abandon its nuclear ambitions, Phares pointed to U.S. military capabilities and growing support among policy experts for empowering Iran's domestic opposition.
“Now, there is a consensus among many experts in Washington that we need to activate the Iranian people because the Iranian people already are on the ground,” Phares said. “It's not costing us much from a financial perspective and from a legitimate perspective, they could put way more pressure on these militias on the ground. But again, if they are armed, if they are trained.”
His remarks came as reports indicated student-led protests took place in several Iranian cities Saturday, reflecting continued public dissatisfaction with the country's ruling clerical establishment.
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