U.S. envoy Tom Barrack says a strike on Iran could happen ‘this weekend’ but Washington is seeking policy change, not regime change

U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack said a new U.S. strike on Iran could take place as early as this weekend, while stressing that President Donald Trump remained open to a deal and was not seeking to overthrow Iran’s government.

“Could there be a strike this weekend? Absolutely,” Barrack said in an interview with Mario Nawfal published Friday. He said Washington had spent months pursuing negotiations and warned that continued threats against the U.S., its allies or Gulf countries would bring consequences.

“The consequence won’t be regime change,” Barrack said. He described U.S. policy as seeking a change in Tehran’s behavior — including an end to threats and hostage-taking — rather than replacing the government, arguing that previous American regime-change efforts had repeatedly produced instability.

Barrack said economic pressure on ordinary Iranians could eventually contribute to domestic political change, but that such change should come from Iranians themselves.

On Israel, he praised its military and technological capabilities but said its broader strategy was producing an “implosion.” He said he regularly urged Arab leaders and Israel to move toward regional alignment rather than continued confrontation.

Barrack said he expected Israel and Syria eventually to reach an understanding, pointing to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s statements that Damascus did not seek conflict with Israel. He said the current process was focused on building trust and addressing Israeli concerns about foreign fighters and security along the border.

He also described managing tensions between Türkiye, a NATO ally, and Israel, a close U.S. partner, as resembling two neighboring teenagers who suddenly start fighting.

On Greece and Türkiye, Barrack called their longstanding disputes “ridiculous” and said both countries should cooperate on separate energy corridors instead of remaining locked in confrontation.

Barrack also said Trump would not seek another presidential term and argued that the president was focused on leaving a legacy rather than building personal wealth.