Trump says Iran regime change could be 'best thing' as second carrier heads to Middle East

Highlights:

• Trump embraces potential regime change in Iran
• Declines to share who he wants to lead Iran
• Second US carrier sent to region

US President Donald Trump on Friday embraced potential regime change in Iran and declared that "tremendous power" will soon be in the Middle East, as the Pentagon sent a second 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 dispute with the West.

A source briefed on the matter told Reuters that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will hold negotiations with Iran on Tuesday in Geneva, with representatives from Oman acting as mediators. The source said Witkoff and Kushner will also meet officials from Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday in Geneva in the US drive to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.

Asked if he wanted regime change in Iran, Trump responded that it "seems like that would be the best thing that could happen." He declined to share 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. "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."

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 strikes on Iran if no agreement is reached, while Tehran has vowed to retaliate, stoking fears of a wider war as the US amasses forces in the Middle East. The US targeted Iran's nuclear facilities in strikes last year.

When asked what was left to be targeted at the nuclear sites, Trump said the "dust." He added: "If we do it, that would be the least of the mission, but we probably grab whatever is left."

Long deployments

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, fighter jets and surveillance aircraft that have been moved to the Middle East in recent weeks.

The Gerald R. Ford, the United States' newest and the world's largest carrier, has been operating in the Caribbean with its escort ships and took part in operations in Venezuela earlier this year.

Asked earlier on Friday why a second aircraft carrier was headed to the Middle East, Trump said: "In case we don't make a deal, we'll need it ... if we need it, we'll 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 United States most recently had two aircraft carriers in the area last year, when it carried out strikes against Iranian nuclear sites 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, US Southern Command, which oversees US military operations in Latin America, said it would continue to stay focused on countering "illicit activities and malign actors in the Western Hemisphere."

The Ford has essentially been at sea since June 2025. It was supposed to be operating in Europe before it was abruptly moved to the Caribbean in November.

While deployments for carriers usually 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 looked at sending a separate carrier, the 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 hold more than 75 military aircraft, including fighter aircraft like the F-18 Super Hornet jet and the E-2 Hawkeye, which can act as an early warning system.

The 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 capabilities.