Trump Says Regime Change in Iran Could Be 'Best Option'

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed the possibility of regime change in Iran, stating it "seems like the best thing that could happen." Speaking after a military event at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Trump said of Iran: "They've been talking and talking and talking for 47 years. Meanwhile, we've lost a lot of lives while they've been talking. Legs, arms, and faces cut off. We've been at it for a long time."

Trump refrained from specifying who he wants to lead Iran but noted "there are people." His comments coincide with a U.S. military buildup in the Middle East, as the Pentagon deploys a second aircraft carrier to the region. U.S. officials described the movement of the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford -- the newest and largest in the U.S. and world fleets -- to join the Abraham Lincoln, several guided-missile destroyers, fighter jets and surveillance aircraft recently sent to the area. The Ford had been operating in the Caribbean and participated in Venezuela operations earlier this year.

These developments occur amid efforts to revive diplomacy over Iran's nuclear program. An informed source told Reuters that U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet Iranian representatives in Geneva on Tuesday, with Oman acting as mediator. The envoys will also meet Russian and Ukrainian officials that day in U.S. efforts to end the Ukraine war.

Washington seeks to include Iran's ballistic missiles, regional armed group support and domestic issues in nuclear talks. Iran says it is open to curbing its nuclear program for sanctions relief but rejects linking it to missiles.

Trump threatened military action if no deal is reached, claiming remaining Iranian nuclear sites are "dust" and that targeting them would be the "smallest part of the mission." Tehran vowed retaliation, heightening fears of wider conflict as U.S. forces gather. The U.S. struck Iranian nuclear facilities in airstrikes last year.