VIDEO: U.S. Intervention Would Worsen Iran’s Crisis

In a series of insightful interviews with Al Jazeera, IPS Middle East expert Phyllis Bennis speaks about President Donald Trump’s response to ongoing protests in Iran — and the risk that his threats to the Iranian government could worsen, not deescalate, the ongoing crisis.

Trump had earlier threatened U.S. intervention in the wake of brutal government crackdowns on Iranian protesters. But while Trump later appeared to reconsider his threat of intervention, it’s unclear whether military actions could remain on the table. 

“We don’t know what President Trump is likely to do, and I think we have to be very aware that this could well be a way of hiding his intention of using military force,” Phyllis argues. 

The claim that the U.S. would intervene militarily in defense of protesters could well serve as a pretext for a full-scale military conflict between the U.S. and Iran. But intervention would not spare Iranian protesters from a harsh government crackdown. “U.S. intervention is almost certain to make that situation worse,” she warns. Instead of deescalating the conflict, it could unleash further brutal repression and risk all-out war between Iran and the United States.

“The only U.S. intervention that would be useful at this point would be the intervention of ending the U.S. sanctions that have played such a huge role in creating the economic crisis that led to the enormous demonstrations that are still going on,” Phyllis argues.

U.S. sanctions on Iran helped fuel the economic crisis that ordinary Iranians are protesting. An end to those sanctions could provide a vital diplomatic off-ramp to deescalate the conflict before it ignites into full-scale war. 

U.S. diplomacy, not intervention, could help deescalate the crisis, Phyllis argues.

“The possibility of diplomacy is always there,” Phyllis argues, even after the Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran in June 2025. The sizable public protests in Iran could create the conditions for diplomatic openings to address Iran’s nuclear capacity, U.S. sanctions, and other sources of conflict. “Both sides are starting to see the potential danger of continuing this escalation,” Phyllis notes. 

“It is still very hard to know” whether these protests could spur regime change, Phyllis adds. She does note that the fact that the protest involves large sectors of the population — and that the business sector is among the population joining the protest — could signal a wider shift.

Watch the full interviews below.