US Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tx) said in an interview with CNBC that he urged President Donald Trump not to "miss the opportunity" to strike and topple the Iranian regime.
"We are at a moment where, in the next six months, we could realistically see the regimes in Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba all fall, and we could see them replaced with governments that want to be friends with America," he stated.
Cruz acknowledged that "there are a thousand ways that can go wrong," but he emphasized, "if that happened, that would be the biggest geopolitical shift since the fall of the Berlin Wall."
Cruz stated that he spoke with the President last week about the issue and told him that "the regime has never been weaker" since it lost the 12-Day War with Israel in June of 2024. "They're teetering. There are real-world consequences to losing a war."
"What I've urged the President is: Do not miss this opportunity. If the Ayatollah is removed from power, it will make America much safer," he said. "This is the leading state sponsor of terrorism in the world. The Iranian regime is responsible for murdering hundreds of American servicemen and women. They fund terrorism all over the world. So, What I’ve urged the president is, number one, support the protesters and arm the protesters. Let the people of Iran have the ability to overthrow their government."
He added that he believes that "there’s a very real possibility we will see potentially in a matter of days limited strikes. What we’re not going to see is boots on the ground."
Earlier today (Tuesday), former State Department official Aaron David Miller theorized that President Trump could announce strikes on Iran during his State of the Union speech tonight.
"Rubio briefing Congress hours before SOTU, delaying his trip to Israel from Saturday to Monday, wouldn’t surprise if Trump announces beginning of strikes against Iran in speech," Miller wrote.
"No President has ever announced the start of military conflict in a SOTU. Why would they? That’s reason enough for Trump to do it," he added.