It is increasingly clear that for powerful elements of the Trump administration backed by the Israel lobby, the demand for a renegotiation of the Iran nuclear deal is only a thin cover for a strategy of regime change in Iran. This has been explicitly stated by some of them. Mike Pompeo’s twelve demands to Iran also cannot be seen in any other light, since several of which require in effect an abandonment of real Iranian sovereignty and which are certainly completely unacceptable even as a basis for talks. They appear to have the full backing of John Bolton and his allies, as well as the neo-conservative camp in general.