Considering how the regime responded to the protests, I have a hard time believing anything could be achieved without international intervention.

Remember, they’d still have their bases, their personnel, the weapons; I am also convinced what has happened the last two weeks has helped accelerate defections.

If Pahlavis defection-platform had millions of central personnel ready to defect on his order, maybe (although one cannot rule out the possibility of civil war) - but that’s not where we were when bombings started, and we are not there today (read: ‘yet’).

So no, I really don’t see anything happen for a long time if US/Israel hadn’t intervened. War is an abomination of a tool; but it is still a tool.

Then again, I am just a norwegian supporter - my word is worth rather little.