Trump Says Regime Change 'Best Thing That Could Happen' In Iran

US President Donald Trump said regime change is the "best thing that could happen" in Iran, as he confirmed that a second aircraft carrier would soon join a "massive" US armada in the Arabian Sea amid high tensions between the bitter rivals.

"Seems like that would be the best thing that could happen," Trump told reporters on February 13 at a military base in North Carolina when asked whether he sought "regime change" in Tehran.

"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 added in his most direct call for the fall of Iran's hard-line clerical regime.

Trump did not say who he would like to see take over should the government fall, only that "there are people."

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Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last shah of Iran, is one of many figures vying for prominence among the fractured Iranian opposition in exile.

Iran's theocratic regime has been in power since 1979, when the Islamic Revolution saw clerics loyal to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khamenei overthrow the US-backed shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The two countries have not had diplomatic relations since 1980.

Washington and Tehran have been involved in indirect talks over Iran's nuclear program. Western countries suspect Iran is attempting to develop a nuclear weapon, while Tehran insists its program is strictly for civilian purposes.

Trump has also threatened a new military strike against the Iranian government if it executes any of the protesters arrested during recent mass anti-government demonstrations.

'Difficult' Nuclear Negotiations

Trump told US troops at the base that Tehran has been "difficult" in nuclear talks and suggested more pressure on the Iranians was needed.

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"They've been difficult to make a deal," he said. "Sometimes you have to have fear. That's the ⁠only thing that really will get the situation ‌taken care of."

Trump also hailed the 12-day war in June, when Israel and the United States launched a bombing campaign targeting Iran's nuclear and military sites.

The latest comments come amid one of Washington's largest-ever military buildups in the Persian Gulf region.

Experts say the deployment is aimed at giving Trump military options if he chooses to act on his threats to attack Iran for failing to make a nuclear deal and violently cracking down on protesters.

Iranian security forces killed thousands of demonstrators in January, after protests erupted in late December 2025 over the sharp collapse of the Iranian currency.

"The gathering of forces is a point of pressure applied by the United States on Iran to come to a negotiated agreement," said Amin Tarzi, professor of strategic studies at Marine Corps War College.

Tarzi added that after the buildup, the US military posture in the Gulf is "robust" with "naval and defensive air defense capabilities, plus offensive air components."

Reuters on February 13 quoted two unnamed US officials as saying the military was preparing for the possibility of a weeks-long operation against Iran if Trump orders an attack.

World's Largest Warship

The US military has previously deployed the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln to the Persian Gulf region to join what Trump called a "massive Armada" near Iran.

On February 13, Trump confirmed that another aircraft carrier, Gerald R. Ford, along with its escort ships, was departing the Caribbean and would soon join US forces in the region, likely within about seven days.

The Gerald R. Ford is considered the largest warship in the world with a length of 337 meters and the capability to carry some of the most advanced military technologies.

When asked why he was sending the second warship, Trump said: "In case we don't make a deal, we'll need it...If we need it, ⁠we'll have it ready."

Negotiators met in Muscat last week in talks mediated by the Omani government, but no follow-up discussions have been scheduled.

Tehran has expressed a willingness to discuss its nuclear program but has ruled out negotiations over its ballistic missile program and other related matters.

Sanctions Hit Iranian Economy

Iran has been hit hard by Western financial sanctions that have helped crater the country's economy.

Iran in 2015 agreed to a landmark nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with world powers aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear weapon in return for an easing of economic sanctions.

However, it started rolling back its commitments after Trump, during his first term, withdrew the United States from the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Tehran.

 
Trump Says Regime Change 'Best Thing That Could Happen' In Iran

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