In the first video US President Donald Trump released following the start of operation epic fury he calls on the Iranian people to rise up in what he called a “once in a generation opportunity” to take back control of their own country.

Nominally, the US starts its the attack on Iran in order to prevent the country building a nuclear missile, it very quickly became clear that the white house's strategy to end the war quickly was to destabilize the government sufficiently so there would be a resistance to the nationwide protests that swept Iran between December and January. After decapitating the Islamic Republic, Trump was hoping regime change could be affected by the Iranian people themselves.

It hasn’t happened.

Exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi fueled the popular uprisings that swept the country over the New Year, calling the people to the street until every single major town in every one of the 30-plus regions saw mass protests. However, after the theocracy unleashed the most brutal repression since the original revolution and killed an estimated 20,000 people, the would-be uprising was quelled.

In December, the Trump administration promised to “help” the protestors, which was widely interpreted as missile strikes on the Republic’s elite. When that arrived on February 28 and killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with at least two dozen of his entourage, that failed to destabilise the government sufficiently for a popular uprising to work. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) retained tight control over the country and quickly appointed a successor, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on March 9, the Ayatollah’s son.

The mood of the population remains subdued. The point was brought home last week when Pahlavi issued a statement, telling the people to “stay home” as they faced the danger of both being arrested by the IRGC and being killed by a US bomb falling on the capital.

However, in a new statement released on March 15, he called for mass gatherings against the regime during the ancient Persian holiday of Charshanbeh Suri.

"My compatriots," Pahlavi began, "On the eve of Charshanbeh Suri, the anti-Iranian regime of the Islamic Republic is once again attempting to prevent this ancient national ritual. But this year, we will mark Charshanbeh Suri with solemn national pride in memory of the brave souls who have sacrificed their lives to reclaim Iran and our national identity."

While the local response is likely to be muted as the authorities have stationed troops throughout the main cities. Pahlavi also called for mass gatherings worldwide in front of Iranian embassies, telling his followers to "shout with one voice: the Iranian nation will not rest until Iran is liberated and the Islamic Republic is consigned to history."

He also assured his followers that preparations for a transition government were already well underway in order to run the country and select people to serve in government.

“The transition system will be ready under my leadership to take control of governing the country as soon as the Islamic Republic falls, and in the shortest time restore order, security, freedom, and the conditions for Iran’s growth and prosperity,” Pahlavi said in a video statement on March 14.

According to Israeli reports, the Iranian population has not protested or attacked police due to the number of security forces at various checkpoints throughout the city. Hoping to clear the path for a popular uprising, Israeli drones have begun attacking these checkpoints in the hope of clearing the streets of security forces.

The US campaign has also backfired after it bombed a school, killing some 160 children, as well as hitting residential neighborhoods in Tehran. Rather than being seen as liberators, the US have painted themselves as yet another dangerous and unpredictable factor in the already hard life of the Iranian population.

Has Trump made it clear that he would personally choose who to put in command of Iran if the Islamic Republic falls, treating the country as a colony, further undermining any feeling of liberation that would come with a change in regime.