“No Regime Change Ever Achieved by Airstrikes”: Mearsheimer Dismisses Fantasy of Toppling Iran by Force

According to Saed News, John Mearsheimer, the influential University of Chicago professor and architect of offensive realism, has offered a sobering assessment of recent escalations between Iran and Israel. In the widely circulated video, he states unequivocally: “No regime change has ever been achieved by airstrikes alone.” He continues, “Only ground forces can bring down a regime, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a sane person who supports a ground invasion of Iran.”

Mearsheimer’s remarks come amid heightened speculation in Western media regarding the possibility of a military confrontation between Iran and Israel or the United States. Rejecting such speculation as ill-informed and fantastical, he emphasizes the resilience of Iranian nationalism: “The idea of unconditional surrender by Iran is laughable... We threatened the very existence of Iran, and you should understand: Iranians will fight to the last breath for their homeland.”

He frames the notion of coercing Iran into submission through air power as not only historically unsupported but strategically delusional, citing the failure of similar attempts in Iraq, Libya, and elsewhere.

The video, now circulating with Persian subtitles, has sparked widespread commentary in Iranian media, where Mearsheimer's analysis is seen as a validation of the nation’s defensive posture and a rebuke to war hawks in Washington and Tel Aviv.

His conclusion is stark: “You cannot break a nation like Iran through bombs from the sky. You’d need boots on the ground—and nobody with sense is asking for that.”

The video is available with Persian subtitles for those seeking to understand Mearsheimer’s full argument in the context of ongoing geopolitical tensions.