Farnaz Fassihi

And we heard President Trump say today that he's open to speaking to Iran's new leaders and that he's heard that there are some options for succession.

So I think he's kind of signaling to the Iranian regime that if you do have a character who is willing to

give me what I want and make the kind of concessions that I want on nuclear and military and missiles and policy.

If not back him, at least I'll engage and entertain the possibility of that leader.

That will be detrimental to the aspirations of democracy and freedom for the Iranian people.

But politics are unpredictable.

Right.

And, you know, I think it would be hugely disappointing to many people in Iran, both inside and outside, because, you know, President Trump, for all the reasons we talked about, about sort of the 80 percent that are celebrating the events in Iran and the war, he's seen as a figure who has helped their aspirations for change right now.

But I think that that could quickly change and they may feel betrayed if the U.S.

strikes a deal with the successors of Mr. Khamenei.

I think the Islamic Republic, as we knew it, is over.

I think the state that Mr. Khamenei ran, which was hostile to the U.S., hostile to its Arab neighbors, hostile to Israel, and defined militancy and terror and hostage-taking and repression of its own citizens, is not sustainable.

It's not sustainable and cannot survive in the new realities of the Middle East, where we've seen Israel sort of prioritize its safety and survival above all else post-October 7.

I don't think it is an Iran that will be tolerated by its restive population that want change.

And given all the attacks we've seen in the region and against Arab states, I don't think Iran's neighbors will tolerate that kind of a state and this feeling that they're at risk of being attacked and sort of an unpredictable government next door that nobody knows what it will do and how it will react.

And I don't think the United States will necessarily tolerate it either.

So I think all the odds are stacked against the Islamic Republic situation.

continuing as it has been for the past 47 years.

I'm Iranian American.

And on Friday, I thought that the possibility of ever visiting Iran, of visiting my father's gravesite, or seeing my elderly relatives was a distant dream.