During an interview with CBS’s “The Takeout” on Thursday, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR) said that Iran’s regime “definitely has changed. A changing regime does not necessarily equal regime change.” And “there are various challenges being presented by this decimated leadership, and those that have emerged now at the top of the leadership struggle, I think, are exacerbating those problems.”
Host and CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent Major Garrett asked, “Do you believe the regime has changed in Iran?”
Crawford answered, “Absolutely the regime has changed. I think they’ve gone several tiers deep in the leadership cadre. And I think it has caused, at best, a disjointed leadership apparatus, and, at worse, possibly, rogue elements of the IRGC. And I think that’s making it difficult from a targeting perspective. Also, it’s difficult to anticipate what might happen next because of a disjointed leadership cadre, and even geographically dispersed also makes it a little bit of a challenge as well. So, yeah, I think it definitely has changed. A changing regime does not necessarily equal regime change. Because I still think they’re under that mosaic doctrine as it applies to their ongoing governance. But I do think that it’s been made very difficult, as we’ve gone several tiers down through the leadership cadre.”
Garrett followed up, “Very quickly, so, if I hear you correctly, Mr. Chairman, you’re saying it has changed in personnel, but not necessarily in ideology or the military firepower in which to internally carry out that ideology and punish those who object to it?”
Crawford answered, “Correct. And I think this presents, not only a challenge to us as it applies to negotiating some sort of a ceasefire or some terms where we can [have] a cessation of hostilities, as it were, but also presents a challenge to the Iranian people, in that the IRGC are extremely ideologically motivated and anyone, obviously, that stands against them does so at their own peril, and, yet, there are millions and millions of Iranians that are crying out for liberation that are actually applauding and supporting President Trump in what he’s trying to do. And so, there are various challenges being presented by this decimated leadership, and those that have emerged now at the top of the leadership struggle, I think, are exacerbating those problems.”
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