Political commentator Dick Morris said Saturday that curbing Iran's ability to export terrorism requires weakening its economic and military capacity, but warned that pursuing regime change could undermine U.S. goals and damage President Donald Trump politically.
Speaking on Newsmax's "The Count," Morris said limiting Iran's economic strength is "a big part" of preventing the regime from funding and supporting terrorist activity abroad.
"That's a big part of it, a big part of it," Morris said when asked whether cutting Iran's economic power is key to stopping its export of terror.
However, Morris argued that broader strategies aimed at moderating the Iranian government are unlikely to succeed, describing the regime as willing to endure severe hardship to maintain power and pursue its objectives.
"We have to understand that ultimately, any strategy that is based on making Iran reasonable is going to fail," he said.
"These guys are prepared to accept unbelievable harm on behalf of their own people, for them to be wiped out."
Instead, Morris said the United States and its allies should focus on ensuring that Iran lacks the capacity to threaten global stability, particularly the world economy.
"What will succeed is to make it militarily impossible and economically impossible for them to destroy the global economy," Morris said. "And we can do that."
Morris did not outline specific policy steps but suggested that a strategy centered on containment and capability denial would be more effective than attempting to fundamentally change the nature of the Iranian regime.
He also cautioned that openly pursuing regime change in Iran could carry political risks for the Trump administration and distract from achievable objectives.
"But if our goal is regime change, we're not going to succeed," Morris said. "And we're probably going to lose President Trump in the process."
Morris has frequently commented on foreign policy and national security issues, often emphasizing strategies focused on deterrence and limiting adversaries' capabilities rather than attempting to reshape foreign governments.
His remarks come amid continued debate in Washington over how the United States should confront Iran's regional activities, including its support for proxy groups and its role in Middle East conflicts.
During the interview, Morris emphasized that any successful approach must recognize the ideological commitment of Iran's leadership and focus instead on restricting the tools it can use to project power abroad.
"That's where the strategy has to be," he said, pointing to economic and military pressure as the most realistic path to limiting Tehran's influence.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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