According to a report by The Times of Israel, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has declared that the current joint military campaign by the United States and Israel must move beyond tactical strikes to achieve a “transformational” shift in the Middle East: the complete removal of the Islamic Republic’s leadership from power.
Speaking on the “Eye for Iran” podcast on March 6, 2026, the senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee argued that simply damaging Iran’s weapons stockpiles is a temporary fix that fails to address the root of regional instability.
Senator Cruz asserted that the ongoing operation dubbed “Operation Epic Fury” has already successfully weakened Tehran’s ability to project force.
However, he maintained that the mission remains incomplete if the clerical establishment remains in control.
“It is not simply enough to degrade part of their arsenal. We’ve seen the United States working hand in hand with Israel taking out a great percentage of the missile reserves [and] the drones. But the regime’s ability to project force, to terrorize the Iranian people, to murder their neighbors all of those must be reduced to zero.”
In a significant departure from more cautious diplomatic rhetoric, Cruz explicitly called for regime change, framing it as the only viable path to long-term American national security and the fulfillment of the Iranian people’s democratic hopes.
“Removing from power a government that is seeking to kill Americans is overwhelmingly in America’s interest. I believe freedom is on the doorstep and I believe this regime needs to be removed from power.”
Cruz’s stance signals a hardline “non-interventionist hawk” philosophy. He argues that the U.S. does not need a decades-long, Iraq-style ground occupation, but rather a decisive series of strikes that empowers the local population to reclaim their sovereignty.
By removing the “theocratic, murderous dictator” at the top, Cruz believes the U.S. can effectively “retire the risk” of a nuclear Iran without getting “stuck in the muck of nation-building.”
He views the military’s role as shattering the “money spigot” and the “hardware of oppression,” essentially clearing the stage for the 92 million Iranians who have suffered for nearly 50 years to choose their own future.
For Cruz, this is not just a defensive war; it is a strategic opportunity to reshape the geopolitical map for the next century.
The Senator closed his remarks with a personal appeal, drawing on his own family’s history with authoritarianism in Cuba.
He urged the protesters currently active in cities like Qom and Isfahan to seize the current moment of regime weakness.
“My message to the Iranian people is your courage is inspiring. You have a moment to reclaim your country, to reclaim your future and to move into an era of prosperity.”