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Donald Trump has said regime change in Iran would be “the best thing that could happen” as he sent a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East that could be used to attack the Islamic republic.
The US president spoke to reporters on Friday during a visit to troops at Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina, hinting at the possibility of escalating tensions with Iran.
When asked if he wanted “regime change” in Iran, he replied: “It seems like it would be the best thing that could happen. For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking… We’ve been doing that for a long time.”
Trump’s comments were the most pessimistic about negotiations with Tehran in several weeks, including his emphasis on an increased US military presence in the Middle East.
They came after he said earlier Friday that he was sending a second aircraft carrier strike group, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the area from the Caribbean Sea.
“There’s a tremendous amount of power coming in, and additional power, as you know, and other carriers going out shortly, so we’ll look at that now, if we can get it sorted for once.”
Trump appeared to downplay the challenge of finding new leaders in Iran if Washington were to topple the regime. When asked who he would like to see take over the country, he replied: “Those are the people.”
In January, the president dispatched the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier group from the South China Sea to the Middle East as tensions rose with Iran over the regime’s brutal crackdown against pro-democracy protesters.
The US already has 10 ships in this area, including the Abraham Lincoln. The Gerald R. Ford is America’s largest and newest aircraft carrier and its strike group includes three destroyers, thousands of troops and dozens of aircraft.
When Washington attacked three of Iran’s nuclear facilities last June, two aircraft carrier strike groups were deployed to the area.
The US has also moved additional fighter aircraft as well as more missile defenses to the Middle East as part of its military buildup.
But the White House is also in talks with senior Iranian officials to try to find a solution to their disputes over Tehran’s nuclear program and its support for regional proxy groups in the Middle East.
Gerald R Ford has been in the Caribbean since last summer as Trump launched his military campaign against alleged drug boats off the coasts of Latin America and raided the Venezuelan capital Caracas to capture its revolutionary socialist strongman leader Nicolas Maduro.
US Southern Command, which oversees US operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, said the Gerald R Ford’s redeployment would not result in its ability to operate in the region.
It added, “While force posture evolves, our operational capabilities do not. SOUTHCOM forces remain fully prepared to project power, defend themselves, and defend U.S. interests in the region.” “Mission-focused operations will continue to counter illicit activities and malicious actors in the Western Hemisphere,” he said.
US Central Command and the Pentagon, which oversees US military operations in the Middle East, declined to comment. The White House also declined to comment.
Trump’s decision to send a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East came after he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House this week for talks on Iran.
Speaking before flying back from Washington, Netanyahu said he had told Trump that he was skeptical “about the nature of any agreement with Iran”, and said that, if any agreement is reached, it should include not only Iran’s nuclear program, but also “ballistic missiles and Iranian proxies.”
