Speculation is swirling over the prospect of US willingness to push regime change in Tehran, as US officials including Washington's top diplomat urge Iranians to "choose for themselves" their government.

"The Iranian people get to choose for themselves the kind of leadership they want," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday after outlining a day prior aggressive measures designed to counter Tehran, including what he dubbed the "strongest sanctions in history."

Pompeo has made similar comments in recent days. Experts consider the remarks as admission of a strategy that aims to trigger the collapse of the regime born out of the 1979 Islamic Revolution that shattered US-Iranian relations.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said US "policy is not regime change" -- but made clear the United States would "welcome" a new era in Tehran.

"If the Iranian people were to choose, somewhere down the road, to make their views known, they're certainly welcome to do so," she said.

"The Iranian people for far too long have lived under a regime that has mistreated its people."

President Donald Trump had already raised the specter of regime change when he announced the US would pull out of the Iran nuclear accord earlier this month, saying Iranians "deserve a nation that does justice to their dreams."

Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani also told exiled Iranian opposition figures "we have a president who is as committed to regime change as we are."

The prospect finds support from neoconservative circles, and remains charged in the US since the 2003 military intervention that toppled Saddam Hussein -- a move now widely considered a blunder, including by Trump.

Foreign policy analysts have noted the appointment of so-called "hawks" to key positions, including Pompeo and John Bolton, the national security advisor.

Both have advocated for regime change in the past.

"I'm convinced that the people of Iran, when they can see a path forward which will lead their country to stop behaving in this way, will choose that path," Pompeo said.

Iran government says no evidence against detained environmentalists
Tehran (AFP) May 22, 2018 - Iran's environment chief said Tuesday that a government committee had concluded there was no evidence against wildlife activists rounded up on spying charges in recent months.

Isa Kalantari, head of the government's department of environment, told state news agency IRNA that the conclusion had been reached by a special four-man committee, including the ministers of justice, interior and intelligence, and the president's legal deputy.

"This four-member group has come to the conclusion that these detained individuals are in custody without having done anything and naturally they must be freed soon," Kalantari said.

Iran has multiple, overlapping intelligence agencies -- the most prominent are linked to the government, judiciary and Revolutionary Guards -- that often act independently of each other, so the committee's assessment may have no effect.

The government's intelligence ministry has previously stated there was no evidence against the arrested environmentalists.

"There is no document indicating the truth of the accusations levelled against these detained individuals," Kalantari said.

Little detail has been given about the detentions, which began with the arrest of eight members of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Organisation in January.

But the cases drew international attention after the renowned head of the organisation, 63-year-old Kavous Seyed Emami, allegedly committed suicide in prison a fortnight after his arrest.

Kalantari's deputy at the department of environment, Kaveh Madani, was also forced to flee the country last month after pressure from hardliners about his private life.

There have been reports of several more environmentalists arrested in the south of the country, although only three have been officially confirmed -- members of the Association for the Protection of Nature in Lavardin.

Iran faces severe environmental challenges, particularly linked to a prolonged drought and extreme air pollution.

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Iran's Rouhani: 'world no longer accepts US deciding for them'
Tehran (AFP) May 21, 2018
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani dismissed threats made by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday, saying the rest of the world no longer accepts Washington making decisions on their behalf. "Who are you to decide for Iran and the world?" Rouhani said in a statement carried by multiple Iranian news agencies. "The world today does not accept that the United States decides for the world. Countries have their independence," he added. It was a pointed response to Pompeo's speech earlier in t ... read more