Donald Trump said regime change in Iran “would be the best thing that could happen” as the United States deployed a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East.
The president made the remarks on Friday during a visit to troops at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. When asked whether he wanted to see a change in government in Iran, he said: “It seems like that would be the best thing that could happen.”
Mr Trump criticised decades of negotiations with Tehran, saying: “For 47 years, they've been talking and talking and talking. In the meantime, we've lost a lot of lives while they talk. Legs blown off, arms blown off, faces blown off. We've been going on for a long time.”
He did not specify who he hoped would replace Iran’s clerical leaders, stating only that “there are people.”
The president said the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, was being sent to the Middle East. “In case we don't make a deal, we'll need it. It'll be leaving very soon,” he added.
The deployment follows a broader US military build-up in the region amid rising tensions. Last month, the USS Abraham Lincoln and accompanying guided-missile destroyers were sent to the area. Last week, US forces shot down an Iranian drone approaching the Abraham Lincoln, while Iran attempted to stop a US-flagged ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
US and Iranian officials held talks in Oman last week, but no agreement was reached. Mr Trump said a deal could still prevent military action. “Give us the deal that they should have given us the first time. If they give us the right deal, we won't do that,” he said.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that any US attack on Iran could trigger a regional war. More talks are expected on Tuesday, with a US delegation including Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner scheduled to meet Iranian officials, according to Reuters sources.
Tensions are also linked to Iran’s nuclear programme. Mr Trump said targeting Tehran’s nuclear facilities was only part of US demands. “If we do it, that would be the least of the mission,” he said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met Mr Trump in Washington this week, has urged that any agreement also address Iran’s ballistic missile programme.
Earlier in June, the US carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites following a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel.