- Trump embraces potential regime change in Iran.
- Refuses to say who he wants to lead Iran.
- Second US carrier sent to the region.
US President Donald Trump on Friday embraced a potential regime change in Iran and declared that “tremendous power” will soon be in the Middle East as the Pentagon sent another aircraft carrier to the region.
Trump’s military moves and tough talk come even as Washington and Tehran seek to revive diplomacy over Tehran’s long-running nuclear standoff with the West.
A source briefed on the matter told Reuters that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will hold talks with Iran on Tuesday in Geneva, with representatives from Oman acting as mediators.
The source said Witkoff and Kushner will also meet with officials from Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday in Geneva in the US effort to end the war in Ukraine.
Asked if he wanted regime change in Iran, Trump replied that it “seems like that would be the best thing that could happen.” He declined to say who he wanted to take over Iran, but said: “There are people.”
“For 47 years they’ve been talking and talking and talking,” Trump said after a military event at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. “Meanwhile, we’ve lost many lives as they speak. Legs blown off, arms blown off, faces blown off. We’ve been at it a long time.”
Washington wants nuclear talks with Iran to also cover the country’s ballistic missiles, support for armed groups around the region and the treatment of the Iranian people. Iran has said it is prepared to discuss curbs on its nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions, but has ruled out linking the issue to missiles.
Trump has threatened to attack Iran if no deal is reached, while Tehran has vowed to retaliate, raising fears of a wider war as the US builds up forces in the Middle East. The US targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities in attacks last year.
Asked what was left to be targeted at the nuclear facilities, Trump said “the dust.” He added: “If we do, it would be the smallest of the mission, but we’ll probably grab what’s left.”
Long broadcasts
US officials described the complex process of moving military assets. The carrier Gerald R. Ford will join the carrier Abraham Lincoln, several guided missile destroyers, fighters and surveillance aircraft that have been moved to the Middle East in recent weeks.
The Gerald R. Ford, America’s newest and the world’s largest carrier, has been operating in the Caribbean with its escort ships and participated in operations in Venezuela earlier this year.
Asked earlier Friday why another aircraft carrier was headed to the Middle East, Trump said: “If we don’t make a deal, we’re going to need it … if we need it, we’re going to have it ready.”
One of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the carrier would take at least a week to reach the Middle East.
The US last had two aircraft carriers in the area last year, when it carried out attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities in June.
With only 11 aircraft carriers in the US military’s arsenal, they are a scarce resource and their schedules are usually set well in advance.
In a statement, the US Southern Command, which oversees US military operations in Latin America, said it would continue to focus on countering “illegal activities and malicious actors in the Western Hemisphere”.
The Ford has largely been at sea since June 2025. It was meant to run in Europe before it was suddenly moved to the Caribbean in November.
While carrier deployments normally last nine months, it is not uncommon for them to be extended during periods of increased US military activity.
Navy officials have long warned that long deployments at sea can damage morale on ships.
Officials said the administration had considered sending a separate carrier, Bush, to the Middle East, but it was undergoing certification and would take over a month to reach the Middle East.
The Ford, which has a nuclear reactor on board, can accommodate more than 75 military aircraft, including fighter jets such as the F-18 Super Hornet jet and the E-2 Hawkeye, which can act as an early warning system.
Ford also has sophisticated radar that can help control air traffic and navigation.
The supporting ships, such as the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser Normandy, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers Thomas Hudner, Ramage, Carney and Roosevelt, include surface-to-air, surface-to-surface and anti-submarine warfare.
