US not pursuing regime change, collapse in Iran: Jim Mattis

The United States has not instituted a policy of regime change or collapse in Iran, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Friday, telling reporters that the goal was still to change Iran’s behavior in the Middle East.

Asked whether the Trump administration had created a regime change or collapse policy, Mattis said: “There’s none that’s been instituted.”

“We need them to change their behavior on a number of threats that they can pose with their military, with their secret services, with their surrogates and with their proxies,” he added.

Reporting by Phil Stewart