Rudy Giuliani: U.S. Sanctions Will Overthrow the Iranian Government

Rudy Giuliani, attorney for the U.S. President, stated on Saturday, September 22, that U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran will lead to a "successful revolution" in the country. U.S. officials have repeatedly emphasized that the goal of the sanctions is to "change the behavior" of the Iranian government, not to change it. Mr. Giuliani said at a meeting of the "Organization of Iranian Communities in America": "I don’t know when we will overthrow them. It could be in a few days, a few months, or a few years. But it will happen." He further stated: "They are in decline. The people of Iran have suffered enough." Mr. Trump’s attorney commented on the sanctions: "Sanctions are working. The value of [Iran's national] currency is approaching zero... These are conditions that will ultimately lead to a successful revolution." Are crippling sanctions leading to the overthrow of the Islamic Republic? Trump administration officials have repeatedly stated that their goal in pursuing policies and actions against Tehran is to "change the behavior" of the Islamic Republic. Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State, said during a meeting in Congress that the Trump administration's pressure is not aimed at regime change in Iran but is in line with this "global consensus" on how to compel Tehran to "act like a normal country." James Mattis, U.S. Secretary of Defense, also stated in June that his administration has no policy to pursue regime change or internal collapse in Iran, and all planned actions are a response to Iran's threatening behavior in the Middle East. However, John Bolton, U.S. National Security Advisor, before his appointment, stated at a meeting of the People's Mujahedin Organization last July: "The announced policy of the United States should be to overthrow the mullah regime in Tehran." He added: "The behavior and goals of this regime are not going to change, and therefore the only solution is to change the regime itself. This will happen before 2019, and we will celebrate this event in Tehran." After being appointed as National Security Advisor to Donald Trump, Mr. Bolton followed the U.S. government's position and stated that regime change in Iran is currently not on the "agenda" of the Trump administration. On May 8, the U.S. President withdrew from the nuclear agreement with Iran known as the JCPOA, and in mid-August, the first round of sanctions against Tehran, which had been suspended as a result of this agreement, was reinstated. The second round of sanctions, which is set to take effect on November 4, targets Iran's oil industry to reduce its exports to zero. The severe pressures from the U.S. on Iran in recent months have caused significant turmoil in Iran's financial and currency markets, and according to the latest reports published on Sunday, October 1, the price of each dollar has reached 15,000 tomans, which is more than four times higher than six months ago. The "Organization of Iranian Communities in America," where Rudy Giuliani spoke on Saturday, also held a meeting titled "Iran Freedom Convention for Human Rights and Democracy" in the U.S. capital last May. Mr. Giuliani also participated in this meeting, and several U.S. lawmakers from both the Democratic and Republican parties sent messages for it. Maryam Rajavi, a senior leader of the People's Mujahedin Organization, also sent a video message to this conference.