Trump hints at Iran regime change as US deploys second aircraft carrier to Middle East

US President Donald Trump has openly floated the prospect of regime change in Iran, declaring that a shift in Tehran’s leadership “would be the best thing that could happen” as Washington intensifies its military posture in the Middle East.

Speaking to reporters after visiting troops at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina, Trump signaled growing impatience with Iran’s clerical establishment amid stalled nuclear negotiations and escalating regional tensions.

“It seems like that would be the best thing that could happen,” Trump said when asked whether the United States should press for the ouster of Iran’s Islamic leadership. Referring to decades of hostility, he added: “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 pointed to the human toll of prolonged conflict in the region, citing American military casualties and injuries. However, Trump declined to identify any alternative leadership in Tehran, saying only that “there are people.”

Military pressure builds

Trump’s remarks came hours after he confirmed the deployment of a second US aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East, significantly expanding America’s naval footprint in the region.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, is being repositioned from the Caribbean and will join the USS Abraham Lincoln, already operating in the region with other US naval assets.

“In case we don’t make a deal, we’ll need it,” Trump told journalists at the White House. “If we need it, we’ll have it ready — a very big force.”

The additional deployment, first reported by The New York Times, is widely seen as leverage as negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme hang in the balance.

Diplomacy or ‘a bad day for Iran’

While projecting confidence that talks could succeed, Trump warned of severe consequences if diplomacy collapses.

“I think they’ll be successful. If they’re not, it’s going to be a bad day for Iran — very bad,” he said, adding that progress on a potential nuclear agreement could come within weeks.

Trump also confirmed holding lengthy discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has reportedly urged Washington to ensure any future deal compels Iran to curb its ballistic missile programme and end support for militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Tensions have spiked following Iran’s recent crackdown on protests. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, thousands were killed and tens of thousands arrested during the unrest, although rights groups say the actual toll could be higher.

Rising regional flashpoints

The military build-up comes against the backdrop of heightened instability across the Middle East in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Gulf Arab nations have warned that any direct confrontation between Washington and Tehran could ignite a wider regional conflict.

US forces recently shot down an Iranian drone that approached the USS Abraham Lincoln, while Iran reportedly attempted to intercept a US-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz — incidents underscoring the fragile security environment.

Trump indicated that the additional carrier group would withdraw if an agreement is reached. “If we have a deal, it’ll be leaving very soon,” he said.

Pahlavi calls for global day of action

Amid the escalating rhetoric, US-based exiled opposition figure Reza Pahlavi, son of the shah ousted in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, urged Iranians to intensify anti-government protests.

In a message posted on X, Pahlavi called on citizens to raise anti-government slogans from rooftops on February 14 and 15 as part of a “Global Day of Action,” aimed at amplifying the voices of protesters inside Iran and rallying international support.

Inside the country, 40-day mourning ceremonies for those killed in last month’s crackdown are under way — a development that analysts say could fuel renewed unrest in the sanctions-hit Islamic Republic.

As diplomacy teeters and military assets move into position, Washington and Tehran now find themselves at a critical juncture — one that could shape the region’s trajectory for years to come.