The US president has promised “something very tough” unless Tehran accepts his deal
US President Donald Trump has said he is weighing the deployment of a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East, escalating military pressure on Iran and warning that diplomacy has a narrow window.
The remarks come ahead of a likely second round of indirect US-Iran talks next week, following initial negotiations held in Oman on Friday – the first since last year’s Israeli-US strikes.
“We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going,” Trump told Axios on Tuesday.
“Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” he said, referring to US airstrikes in June on Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
Trump claimed Tehran is now engaging more seriously because it no longer doubts his willingness to use force, arguing that Iranian leaders previously “overplayed their hand.” In addition to a “no-brainer” deal on Iran’s nuclear program, the US president also hopes to address Tehran’s ballistic missile capabilities.
Iran, however, has publicly rejected any negotiation beyond its nuclear program and insists it will not surrender its right to enrich uranium. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has repeatedly said enrichment is a matter of sovereignty, stressing that Iran is willing to clarify the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities but will not accept a “zero enrichment” demand, even under threat of war. Tehran has also ruled out talks on its missile program, describing it as purely defensive.
Iranian officials have warned that renewed US military action would trigger retaliation against American bases in the region. Araghchi has said Iran would strike US facilities in the Middle East if attacked, citing deep mistrust after last year’s strikes and the growing US military buildup near Iran’s borders.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet Trump in Washington on Wednesday. While Netanyahu has expressed skepticism about the prospects of a broad agreement, Trump dismissed suggestions of tension, saying the Israeli leader “also wants a deal” – provided it is a “good deal.”
