NEED TO KNOW

• Trump told NBC News the U.S. and Israel intend to "clean out everything" in Iran — and he already has candidates to replace its leadership
• The IDF destroyed Khamenei's underground Tehran command bunker Friday, a week after the supreme leader was killed in the opening strikes
• Both chambers of Congress this week rejected bipartisan war powers resolutions requiring Trump to seek authorization to continue the war

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TDR) — President Donald Trump confirmed Thursday that the United States and Israel intend to pursue full regime change in Iran, telling NBC News in a phone call that the objective goes beyond dismantling Iran's nuclear and missile programs to removing its entire leadership structure — and that he already has candidates in mind to replace it.

Trump Signals Regime Change as the War's Explicit Goal

Speaking to NBC News, Trump was direct about the scope of the operation now in its seventh day.

"We want to go in and clean out everything. We don't want someone who would rebuild over a 10-year period. We want them to have a good leader. We have some people who I think would do a good job." — Donald Trump

Trump declined to name the individuals he has in mind, but said his administration is actively monitoring their whereabouts to ensure they survive the conflict. "We are watching them, yeah," he said. He also dismissed the prospect of a ground invasion, calling it "a waste of time" given that Iran has "lost their navy" and most of what it had to lose.

The remarks represent the clearest articulation yet of what the administration views as the war's end state — not a negotiated settlement over nuclear enrichment, but a wholesale replacement of the Islamic Republic's governing structure. Trump separately told Axios that he opposes Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the slain supreme leader and a reported front-runner for succession, calling him "a lightweight."

Day Seven: IDF Destroys Khamenei's Bunker, Iran Keeps Firing

On the battlefield Friday, the Israel Defense Forces announced it had destroyed an underground command bunker in the heart of Tehran that had belonged to late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening strikes on Feb. 28.

"Targeting the bunker further degrades the regime's command and control capabilities. It spanned multiple streets in the heart of Tehran and contained numerous entrances and meeting rooms for senior members of the Iranian terrorist regime." — Israel Defense Forces statement

Approximately 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out the mission. The IDF said Khamenei was killed before he could use the facility, but that it remained an active command center for surviving senior officials.

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Iran continued to strike back. The United Arab Emirates reported intercepting nine ballistic missiles and 109 drones Friday, with three drones landing on UAE territory. Sirens sounded in Kuwait City after Iran claimed to have launched attack drones at U.S. positions there. The UAE said that since fighting began, it has tracked more than 200 ballistic missiles and nearly 1,200 Iranian drones — a volume of fire that has two regional officials warning that Gulf allies are running dangerously low on interceptors.

Israel simultaneously escalated operations in Lebanon, issuing mass displacement orders affecting more than 100 towns and villages in the south and ordering evacuation of nearly the entire southern suburb of Beirut. The United Nations demanded an investigation into whether the strikes and displacement orders constitute violations of international law.

"The devastating impact of this renewed conflict is already before our eyes, with civilians paying a painfully heavy price. We urge the parties to step back from the brink of a major escalation of this conflict in Lebanon." — Ravina Shamdasani, U.N. Human Rights Office

Congress Votes, Then Stands Down

The war's constitutional footing remained contested in Washington this week. On Wednesday, the Senate rejected a bipartisan war powers resolution introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on a 47-53 vote, falling short of the threshold needed to advance. Paul was the only Republican to support it. On Thursday, the House followed suit, rejecting a similar resolution, with four Democrats joining Republicans to defeat it.

Critics from both parties argued the president had bypassed a constitutional requirement.

"This offensive use of military force against Iran, absent congressional authorization, is contrary to domestic and international law." — Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), ranking member, Senate Armed Services Committee

"A war in Iran with the goal of regime change could be another long-term military commitment with deadly consequences for thousands of American troops." — Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL)

Defenders of the operation pointed to Iran's nuclear ambitions and the administration's assertion that existing presidential authority covers the strikes. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the war "unlawful, unnecessary, and catastrophic," while Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) broke with his caucus and voted against the war powers resolution, signaling bipartisan support for continuing the operation.

Scholars at the Brookings Institution noted the contrast with prior administrations: before the 2001 and 2003 invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, President George W. Bush sought and received congressional authorization. Trump did not, and offered only limited public justification after the bombs began falling.

What Comes After "Clean Out"

Iran faces a power vacuum that no one in the region has a clear answer for. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which survived as an institution even as its senior commanders were killed in the opening strikes, is positioned to expand its domestic power if it endures. CIA assessments, according to NBC News, suggest a hardliner from the IRGC ranks is the most likely successor to Khamenei — precisely the outcome Trump says he is working to prevent.

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Russia's Kremlin said Friday it remains in dialogue with Iran's remaining leadership, and the Washington Post reported that Moscow is sharing intelligence on U.S. military positions in the Middle East with Tehran. Six American service members have been killed since the operation began.

When a president declares the right to select another nation's next leader, and Congress declines to formally weigh in, who in the U.S. system is accountable for what happens next?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from NBC News, CBS News live updates, CNBC, and NBC News' Khamenei death coverage, expert analysis from the Brookings Institution, and battlefield reporting from Haaretz.

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