WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday embraced potential regime change in Iran, declaring it “seems like that would be the best thing that could happen,” as the Pentagon dispatched a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East ahead of renewed nuclear negotiations .
Speaking after a military event at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Trump criticized Tehran’s leadership, 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” . He declined to specify who should lead Iran but noted “there are people” .
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navy’s newest and largest carrier, will join the USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers already in the region . Trump said the buildup was necessary “in case we don’t make a deal” . Asked what remains of Iran’s nuclear facilities to target after last year’s strikes, Trump replied: “The dust” .
The military escalation comes as U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner prepare for Tuesday negotiations with Iran in Geneva, with Oman mediating . The same day, the envoys will also meet Russian and Ukrainian officials to discuss ending the war in Ukraine .
Tehran has signaled openness to discussing nuclear limits in exchange for sanctions relief but insists its missile program is “never negotiable” . Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that any attack on Iran would draw strikes on U.S. bases in the region .
The Ford, at sea since June 2025, will take at least a week to reach the Middle East .
