Trump: Iran regime change is ‘best thing that could happen’

Donald Trump said regime change in Iran would be “the best thing that could happen”, marking one of his strongest endorsements yet for replacing the country’s clerical leadership.

The US president, speaking at Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina, accused Tehran of prolonged aggression, with years of discussions but no end to violence.

He said: “For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking. In the meantime, we’ve lost a lot of lives. Legs blown off, arms blown off, faces blown off. We’ve been going on for a long time.”

Asked whether he supported regime change in Iran, Mr Trump replied that it “seems like that would be the best thing that could happen”. He declined to say who should replace the current leadership but said: “There are people.”

The US has sent a second aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, to the Middle East, increasing pressure on Tehran amid stalled nuclear negotiations.

Mr Trump said “tremendous power” would soon be positioned in the region and shared an aerial photograph of the carrier on social media, showing it in transit. An official said the carrier would take a week to reach the Middle East.

Asked why a second aircraft carrier was being sent, he said: “In case we don’t make a deal, we’ll need it ... if we need it, we’ll have it ready.”

The first carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, was sent to the region in January. The deployment followed US threats to strike Iran over the government’s crackdown on protests, which left thousands of civilians dead.

The US military is preparing for the possibility of a sustained, weeks-long operation against Tehran if Mr Trump orders an attack, two officials told Reuters on Saturday, raising the stakes for negotiations between the two nations.

Asked about preparations for a potentially sustained military action, Anna Kelly, the White House spokesman, said: “President Trump has all options on the table with regard to Iran.

“He listens to a variety of perspectives on any given issue, but makes the final decision based on what is best for our country and national security.”

The US is pushing Iran to halt uranium enrichment, and wants renewed nuclear talks to address Tehran’s ballistic missile programme and its support for armed groups across the region.

Mr Trump withdrew the US from the Obama-era nuclear deal during his first term and reinstated sweeping sanctions. Iran has said it is willing to discuss limitations on its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief, but has ruled out linking the issue to non-nuclear missiles.

Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian president, warned that his country would not “yield to their excessive demands”.

Mr Trump has repeatedly threatened military strikes if no agreement is reached, while Tehran has vowed to retaliate, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.

The US carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June, when two aircraft carriers were deployed to nearby waters.

The demonstrations in Iran were among the largest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which established the country’s clerical system under a supreme leader – currently Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei. Thousands of protesters were killed and tens of thousands detained.

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to hold talks with Iranian representatives on Tuesday in Geneva, with Oman acting as mediator.

Asked what was left to be targeted at the nuclear sites, Mr Trump said “dust” before adding: “If we do it, that would be the least of the mission, but we probably grab whatever is left.”