The Iranian regime is closer to being toppled than ever following Donald Trump’s election victory, a leading opposition group has said.

Israel’s onslaught has also weakened the regime, Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), told The Telegraph in a rare interview.

Ms Rajavi said that, after years of brutal oppression, Tehran had found itself in a “quagmire” with its facade of power crumbling.

She said: “The clerical regime is more vulnerable than ever. Last year, amidst potential overthrow threats highlighted by the 2022 uprisings, Ali Khamenei responded with regional warmongering.

“Now, he finds himself at an impasse, deeply entrenched in the quagmire of a conflict of his own making.

“For years, Khamenei claimed through lobbyists and appeasers that the theocracy was stable and that concessions were necessary to avoid chaos. This facade has crumbled.”