ADVERTISEMENTTwo U.S. insiders familiar with these talks said Trump aims to set the stage for “regime change,” following nationwide protests earlier this month. Analyst Alex Vatanka from the Middle East Institute pointed out that without significant defections from Iran’s military, the protests are “heroic but outgunned.”These sources spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the subject. On Wednesday, Trump called on Iran to negotiate a nuclear deal, warning that any new U.S. attack would be more severe than the missile strikes against three nuclear sites in June. Previous U.S. proposals included banning Iran from enriching uranium independently, restricting long-range ballistic missile development, and limiting Iran’s network of armed proxies in the Middle East. Some Western officials believe that a transition in Iran could break the nuclear deadlock and foster better relations with the West.