Iran Regime Collapse Strategy: Experts Detail Economic Pressure and Internal Arming Plan

Former Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie and foreign policy analyst Walid Phares stated Thursday on Newsmax that economic pressure against Iran must target the regime itself and be combined with efforts to strengthen internal opposition.

“You cannot negotiate with dead-enders and millenarians,” Wilkie told “Wake Up America.”

“They believe they are called by God to change the world,” making traditional diplomatic “carrots and sticks” ineffective, he said.

Wilkie’s comments came as reports surfaced that Qatar launched a new attempt at negotiations with Tehran and after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly warned President Donald Trump that diplomatic efforts with the Iranian regime would not work.

“I think the most important thing we can do is create a symbiotic response,” Wilkie stated. “It means economic pressure and also military pressure.” He argued the goal should be to “deprive them of sustenance from outside their country and continue collapsing the regime from within.”

Phares emphasized that economic pressure must distinguish between “the economy of the country” and “the economy — the money — of the regime.”

“These are two different things,” he said. “The focus should be on the regime, meaning the people of the regime who have banks and institutions.”

Phares noted that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps functions as “the de facto Treasury Department of the regime” and argued economic measures alone are insufficient.

“We must arm the Iranian people — at least parts of them — starting with Tehran,” he stated. “That pressure would become double and triple, putting strain on the regime rather than the general population.”

Wilkie agreed, stating the strategy should “deprive the regime of its sustenance” and “its ability to pay security forces” in addition to “its ability to pay proxies.”

“What you begin with,” Wilkie added, “and Walid has discussed for months, is separating true believers from fellow travelers. Once that happens, I believe a cascading effect similar to what occurred in 1979 will be seen — when the Shah’s government collapsed rapidly.”

Phares estimated the regime maintains roughly 400,000 fighters, including about 50,000 “die-hard” supporters, while opposition forces could mobilize “about 100 to 200 thousand volunteers, including trained individuals.”

“The problem is we are not communicating,” Phares said. “We need to send a message. For example, a presidential speech would carry the weight of 50 divisions.”

Phares also called for weapons to be supplied to a portion of the opposition.

“We’re not talking about all 90 million Iranians,” he explained. “It’s impossible. But about 200,000 — that is feasible.”

“We need to implement economic pressure and arming people or parts of them, and we will see the cascade that the secretary was describing,” Phares added.