Iran's authorities are the weakest since 1979, according to intelligence data provided to Trump

Intelligence assessments provided to American President Donald Trump show that the position of the Iranian authorities is the weakest since the ayatollahs took power in the country in 1979, the New York Times reported.

According to the NYT, Trump received numerous US intelligence reports indicating the weakening of the Islamic Republic regime. Hawkish advisers are pressuring President Masud Pezeszkian to take action, the daily emphasized on Monday, citing several people with access to this information.

The protests are a shock for the Iranian authorities

The reports were published as Trump considers using force against Iran following the authorities' brutal crackdown on anti-government protests. Reports that barely escaped Iran's internet, which is blocked, show that thousands or even tens of thousands of protesters were killed.

Intelligence assessments show that the protests that broke out at the end of 2025 were a shock for the Iranian authorities, especially since they also took place in regions that were considered bastions of support for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme political and religious leader of Iran. Although the protests were suppressed, the government's situation is still difficult, including: due to the weakness of the economy.

The American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three warships equipped with, among others, Tomahawk missiles are moving towards the Middle East and on Monday they entered the zone of responsibility of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) in the western Indian Ocean.

“The goal is the fall of the regime”

If the White House ordered an attack on Iran, the aircraft carrier could theoretically take action within one or two days, the NYT reported, citing information obtained from representatives of the armed forces. The U.S. has already sent a dozen additional F-15E aircraft and more Patriot and THAAD air defense systems to the region to protect U.S. troops there from possible retaliatory attacks by Iran's short- and medium-range missiles. Long-range bombers that could attack targets in Iran remain on high alert. The Pentagon raised the issue two weeks ago when Trump asked for options for responding to the crackdown on protests in the country.

“The goal is to bring down this regime,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, told the NYT. “Even if they stop killing them (protesters) today, if they remain in power next month, they will kill them then,” he added.

Pentagon representatives intensified contacts with regional allies. Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, visited Syria, Iraq and Israel over the weekend. American officials also consulted with regional partners on Iran, holding talks with representatives of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the New York Times noted. (PAP)

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