Renowned American political scientist and international relations theorist John Mearsheimer has claimed that Israel’s long-standing goal is not merely regime change in Iran, but the fragmentation of the country.
In a recent interview, Mearsheimer argued that statements from Israeli officials calling for regime change in Iran conceal broader ambitions. “They want to break Iran into smaller, weaker entities—similar to what has happened in Syria,” he said.
He suggested that Israeli support for Kurdish nationalism, including the potential formation of a Kurdish state, is part of a regional strategy to weaken major powers like Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
Mearsheimer added that Israel’s dominance strategy includes exclusive nuclear capability, strong U.S. alliance, military superiority, and dependence of rival states on American aid—pointing to Egypt and Jordan as examples.
He warned that aerial bombardments, such as those recently conducted by Israel, have historically failed to trigger regime change. Instead, they tend to unite the population around their leaders, as seen in Iran over the past 12 days.
Mearsheimer concluded that it is “perfectly logical” for Iran to pursue nuclear weapons to deter aggression. “If I were a national security advisor in Tehran, Iran would already have the bomb,” he said.