While the Iranian government tried to keep the country cut off from the outside world by blocking internet access, the hashtag #MIGA—Make Iran Great Again—proposed by President Donald Trump, began trending on June 21, 2025. Thousands of Iranians reposted it repeatedly on platforms such as X and Instagram.
Trump wrote on Truth Social: “It’s not politically correct to use the term ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a regime change??? MIGA!!!”
On June 23, Israel targeted Evin prison in Tehran, where the regime keeps most of its political prisoners. Airstrikes hit guard barracks and the court section. This led to great excitement as families of prisoners rushed to the sprawling complex to find out if their loved ones were safe or could leave.
Many believe that, whether by design or consequence, the U.S. and Israeli strikes have seriously weakened the regime and could empower the Iranian people to seize the moment.
Since Israel launched its air campaign against military and government targets in Iran on June 13, the question of whether the regime might collapse under sustained pressure has become a central topic of debate, particularly among Iranian opposition activists. Social media users have asked whether Israel’s goal is regime change or simply the destruction of Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure. But when the United States joined the assault on June 21 by striking three key nuclear sites, speculation intensified: Had Washington closed the door on diplomacy altogether? Was the aim now to bring down the Islamic Republic?
While some argue that regime change driven by foreign powers rarely leads to democratic outcomes, many activists—judging by social media trends—disagree. They cite examples such as postwar Germany and Japan to argue that external intervention, in some cases, has laid the groundwork for democracy. Many believe that, whether by design or consequence, the U.S. and Israeli strikes have seriously weakened the regime and could empower the Iranian people to seize the moment.
But it was Trump’s message and the revival of the Make Iran Great Again slogan that electrified opposition circles. The slogan resonated with supporters of exiled prince Reza Pahlavi, a prominent opposition figure who has positioned himself as a transitional leader, pledging to honor the people’s choice of government through a future referendum. While monarchists and pro-Pahlavi activists saw the word “again” in Trump’s slogan as an implicit endorsement of a secular, pro-West monarchy at peace with Israel, others pushed back. Leftists, Islamists, and critics of the Pahlavi legacy remain opposed to any prominent role for the prince in a post-Islamic Republic future.
Most Iranians appear to be watching to see how far Israel will go.
The broader opposition remains concerned that the regime might survive this moment by agreeing to halt its nuclear program in exchange for international relief—only to reassert internal control through violent repression. The so-called “Reformist” camp within the regime has floated vague alternatives in recent days, led by familiar faces such as former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who has promoted and joined a new group called National Solidarity, Defending the Homeland. Regime opponents see this group, made up of figures perceived as loyal critics of the regime, as an effort to derail the possibility of meaningful change.
In the current climate of uncertainty, such reformist initiatives have little traction. Most Iranians appear to be watching to see how far Israel will go. Reports that Israel is targeting centers of domestic repression—such as Basij bases and police facilities used for surveillance, arrests, and enforcement of hijab rules—have given opposition activists hope. If these tools of control are crippled, many believe, it soon could become easier for the population to rise up.
Israel’s decision—apparently backed by the United States—to launch wide-ranging strikes has shifted the strategic balance in the region, forcing the Islamic Republic onto the defensive. For many Iranians, Make Iran Great Again is not an abstract slogan. Living in one of the world’s poorest oil-exporting countries while neighboring Arab states amass hundreds of billions in sovereign wealth, they see it as a clear and urgent call for change. That’s why the hashtag #MIGA is striking such a powerful chord.
