“After the U.S. struck Iran’s most fortified nuclear sites, the regime’s clerical leaders are facing a perilous choice: hit back at the U.S. and risk a widening a war with two militarily superior foes, or return to nuclear talks where they would likely have to give up on nuclear enrichment and their ballistic-missile arsenal, two pillars of the country’s sovereignty,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Iran’s missile arsenal and military infrastructure have been degraded by Israel’s military strikes this month, with Israel claiming to have destroyed half of the country’s missile launchers. But the exact extent remains unclear, and Iran possesses other means to strike back such as cyberattacks and possibly terrorist proxies, or disrupting oil shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Uncertainty over how Iran might respond had stock and oil markets on edge, with U.S. futures moving slightly lower.”

“Joe Biden went to Europe and advocated for a nuclear power’s regime change, and then 10 minutes later his own White House had to contradict him. Seems like a big deal.”

— Sen. J.D. Vance, on X, on March 26, 2022.

President Trump suggested that could he see Iran rejecting its government leadership, after officials in his administration stressed that the White House was not seeking a regime change, the AP reports.

Said Trump: “It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???”

This comes just hours after Vice President J.D. Vance appeared on the Sunday shows insisting the administration did not want regime change.

“After the surprise U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, administration officials worked to assess the extent of the damage,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Vice President JD Vance signaled that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium is still intact but also that the U.S. isn’t interested in destroying the regime.”

“Iran was reeling from American military attacks on its three main nuclear sites early Sunday, with four officials describing the mood in the government as one of defeat and national humiliation, amid divisions about how to respond,” the New York Times reports.

“Publicly, Iranian officials have tried to project a sense of normalcy even though nothing is normal. They have tried to downplay the damage to the nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan, even though satellite images show the mountainous site of Fordo’s underground facilities punctured with huge holes.”

Countries trying to negotiate trade deals with the U.S. have struggled to balance Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and USTR Jamieson Greer, who are often perceived as “working at cross purposes,” Politico reports.

“The enrichment of nuclear material — and, now we can say it outright, the future production of nuclear weapons — will continue. A number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads.”

— Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, on X.