Alan Dershowitz says Trump must push for 'regime change' in Iran to be known as 'peace president'

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Constitutional lawyer Alan Dershowitz argued that President Donald Trump should back regime change in Iran if he wants to secure his legacy as a ‘peace president,’ framing Tehran as the central obstacle to long-term stability in the Middle East.

Appearing on Newsmax on Monday, December 29, Dershowitz said decisive action against Iran, including allowing Israel to strike its nuclear facilities, would ultimately reduce conflict rather than escalate it.

The major barrier to peace

Dershowitz praised Trump for strengthening ties with Israel at a time when, he said, much of the international community has moved in the opposite direction.

"There will never be peace in the Middle East unless there’s regime change in Iran," Dershowitz said during the interview. "The current Iranian regime is the major barrier to peace... and if President Trump wants to be known as the peace president, he has to be in support of regime change."

He argued that the collapse of Iran’s leadership would open the door to broader regional agreements, including normalization deals with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states.

Green-lighting Israeli strikes

Dershowitz said the United States would not need to directly carry out military action, asserting that Israel has the capacity to act independently if Washington gives its approval.

"All Israel needs is a green light from Donald Trump to go in on its own and destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities," he said.

He added that Trump has already sent what he described as a ‘powerful message’ to Tehran about the consequences of continued aggression, referencing warnings involving US B-2 bombers.

Palestinians 'haven't earned' a state

Turning to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Dershowitz rejected the idea of an imminent two-state solution.

"Look, Palestinians haven’t earned themselves a state," he said. "They have to earn a state the way the Jewish people earned a state over hundreds of years of state building."

Dershowitz argued that sovereignty cannot be granted while groups such as Hamas or the current Palestinian leadership remain in control, saying a state cannot be ‘created out of nothing.’

Not in 'my lifetime'

While acknowledging the possibility of a future Palestinian state, Dershowitz said he does not expect to see such an outcome anytime soon.

"Maybe someday there will be a Palestinian state, but it can be a state without terrorists," he said. "So I think it’s a possible dream for the future, but it’s not a reality in my lifetime."