By Nolan Denaro

It has been accepted for months that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was instrumental in convincing U.S. President Donald Trump that war with Iran was a good idea. In February, The New York Times reported on the shocking extent to which Netanyahu had access to Trump before the war, in a propaganda blitz which included a detailed presentation selling the idea that the Iranian regime was primed for collapse. Confident in this assessment, Trump would go on to launch the military campaign with the expectation that a people-powered uprising would commence.

“To the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand,” Trump urged. “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.”

This plan wouldn’t end up coming to fruition. Despite the Israeli claims that a bombing campaign alone would “foster the conditions for the Iranian opposition to overthrow the regime,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) survived the onslaught, and no organized dissident group took advantage of the chaotic situation to make their move.