State Department Releases Video Urging Iranians to Reject Their Government as U.S. Strikes Continue and Officials Call for Regime Change

A State Department spokesperson delivered a direct-to-camera video appeal to Iranians that states the Iranian people are not the problem and that a leadership that fears openness and chooses confrontation over opportunity is the problem. The video will run Thursday in Persian language outlets Iran International and BBC Persian.

It states that when Americans see Iran, they see a great people with a rich history and a generation full of talent and potential.

It adds that millions of Iranians want opportunity, stability, a chance to speak freely, and to live without fear, and that Iran has the talent, resources, and educated young people to be among the world's most prosperous nations. The video states the future of Iran should be shaped by its people, not by intimidation or fear, and that Iran's story is still being written.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott said the Iranian people deserve to hear the truth directly, without the lies and propaganda of a regime that has spent decades violently suppressing dissent, enriching itself, and ignoring the needs of its own citizens.

Piggott said America's disagreement has never been with the Iranian people but with a regime that prioritizes funding terror and pursuing a nuclear weapon. Iranian authorities began restoring internet access after an 88-day nationwide blackout that was initially imposed during anti-government protests and later expanded after the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel.

Internet monitoring groups say connectivity has improved, though significant restrictions remain.

Earlier in 2026, anti-government protests spread across Iran and evolved into one of the most serious challenges to the Islamic Republic in decades before being crushed by a sweeping government crackdown. Protesters faced mass arrests, internet blackouts and lethal force from security services, according to human rights groups and international monitors.

Members of the Iranian police stood guard at a protest in front of the British embassy in Tehran on January 14, 2026.

Iranians attended an anti-government protest in Tehran on January 9, 2026. Iran's opposition remains fragmented, divided among monarchists, reformists, ethnic movements and other factions. Intelligence assessments have questioned whether any unified alternative is positioned to take power should the Islamic Republic fall.

U.S. and Iranian officials continue discussing a potential agreement. President Donald Trump suggested earlier in 2026 that meaningful political change in Iran would have to come from within the country.

U.S. launched offensive strikes known as Operation Epic Fury. Rubio told lawmakers in recent days that any agreement would require major Iranian concessions and insisted the administration would not ease sanctions simply in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

The Trump administration has publicly maintained that negotiations with Tehran remain active.