US moves second carrier to Middle East while Trump backs regime change in Iran

Asked if he wanted regime change in Iran, Trump responded that it “seems like that would be the best thing that could happen.”

14.02.2026

The Arab Weekly

Source:https://thearabweekly.com/us-moves-second-carrier-middle-east-while-trump-backs-regime-change-iran

WASHINGTON

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, the largest in the world, to the region.

Trump’s military moves and tough talk comes even as Washington and Tehran still seek a diplomatic solution to 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.

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 Iran’s regional proxies and an end to repression of the Iranian people. But the Trump administration has not clarified if these demands constitute a precondition before any deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme. Israel advocates the widening of talks to cover all these issues.

Iran on the other hand has said it is prepared to discuss curbs on its nuclear programme 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.”

Sustained operations

According to US officials cited by Reuters, the US military is preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if President Trump orders an attack.

Such a scenario would mean a far more serious conflict than previously seen between the countries.

The disclosure by the US officials raises the stakes for the diplomacy underway between the United States and Iran.

Trump, speaking to US troops on Friday at a base in North Carolina, said it had “been difficult to make a deal” with Iran.

“Sometimes you have to have fear. That’s the only thing that really will get the situation taken care of,” Trump said.

Asked for comment on the preparations for a potentially sustained US military operation, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly 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,” Kelly said.

The United States sent two aircraft carriers to the region last year, when it carried out strikes against Iranian nuclear sites.

However, June’s “Midnight Hammer” operation was essentially a one-off US attack, with stealth bombers flying from the United States to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran staged a very limited retaliatory strike on a US base in Qatar which nonetheless sent huge ripple effects across the region.

The planning underway this time is more complex, the officials said.

In a sustained campaign, the US military could hit Iranian state and security facilities, not just nuclear infrastructure, one of the US officials said. The official declined to provide specific detail.

Experts say the risks to US forces would be far greater in such an operation against Iran, which boasts a formidable arsenal of missiles. Retaliatory Iranian strikes also increase the risk of a regional conflict, scenario feared by countries in the region.

The same official said the United States fully expected Iran to retaliate, leading to back-and-forth strikes and reprisals over a period of time.

On Thursday, Trumped warned the alternative to a diplomatic solution would “be very traumatic, very traumatic.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned that in case of strikes on Iranian territory, they could retaliate against any U.S. military base.

The US maintains bases throughout the Middle East, including in Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.

Complex process

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.”

A US official 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.

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 trafficand 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.