February 14, New Delhi – U.S. President Donald Trump signaled openness to regime change in Iran as Washington continues diplomatic engagement with Tehran while increasing its military presence in the region.
His remarks marked his clearest endorsement yet of replacing Iran’s clerical leadership, as he presses the country to agree to limits on its nuclear programme. Asked whether he supported such a move, U.S. President Trump said it “seems like that would be the best thing that could happen,” while declining to name any successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, adding only that “there are people.”
Donald Trump also indicated that additional U.S. military power would soon be deployed to West Asia, noting that another aircraft carrier would be sent to the region as a show of force if diplomacy fails.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, is being moved from the Caribbean to join the USS Abraham Lincoln and other U.S. naval assets already operating in the region.
Despite the military buildup and sharp rhetoric, Washington and Tehran are pursuing renewed diplomacy over Iran’s long-running nuclear dispute. U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are scheduled to meet Iranian representatives in Geneva on Tuesday, with Oman acting as mediator.