U.S. President Donald Trump says Washington could deploy a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East if nuclear negotiations with Iran collapse, warning of tougher action if no deal is reached.
The comment comes after Oman facilitated talks between Iran and the U.S. last week, which a spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry said had allowed Tehran to gauge Washington's seriousness and showed enough consensus for diplomacy to continue.
The talks came after Trump had positioned one aircraft carrier in the region, raising fears of new military action. Trump, who joined an Israeli bombing campaign last year and hit Iranian nuclear sites, had threatened last month to intervene militarily during a bloody government crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran, but ultimately held off.
In interviews with Israeli media, Trump said the United States would have to do "something very tough" if a deal is not reached with Iran.
"Either we reach a deal or we'll have to do something very tough," Israel's Channel 12 quoted him as saying.
In an interview with Axios, Trump said Washington would either secure a deal with Tehran or take tougher action, referring to last year’s 12-day conflict in June.
Trump told Channel 12 and Axios that he was also considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East.
Meanwhile, in a separate interview with Fox Business Network's 'Kudlow' programme, he said he believed Iran wanted to reach an agreement on its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, but warned it would be "foolish" not to do so.
The USS George Washington in Asia and the USS George H.W. Bush on the U.S. east coast are the most likely candidates, officials have told Reuters, but each is at least a week away from the Middle East. The Pentagon could also deploy the Ford carrier from the Caribbean.
The remarks followed talks between U.S. and Iranian officials in Oman last Friday, focused on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
"After the talks, we felt there was understanding and consensus to continue the diplomatic process," said the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei.
"The Muscat meeting ... was aimed at assessing the seriousness of the other side and the potential course of the process," Baghaei said, adding that discussions focused "more on the broader picture," Baghaei said.
Baghaei said Tuesday's trip (10 February) to Oman by Ali Larijani, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been pre-planned, and that Larijani would travel next to Qatar, which has also mediated in several Middle East crises.
Dialogue over force
Larijani said Iran has long maintained that force cannot resolve disputes with the United States or the wider West, arguing that reliance on pressure and military threats had complicated diplomatic efforts. He described dialogue as the only viable path forward.
"From the beginning, we believe that war does not resolve matters between the two countries," Larijani said, adding that regional disputes "must be resolved through dialogue between both sides."
Tehran has said it halted uranium enrichment activities following last year’s strikes on its facilities and maintains that its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes.
The date and venue of the next round of U.S.-Iran talks have yet to be announced.
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Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 4 July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump on the 250th anniversary of American independence, saying Russia and the United States share a special responsibility for maintaining global security as the world's two largest nuclear powers.
NATO leaders will meet in Ankara next week for a high-stakes summit focused on defence spending, support for Ukraine and relations with U.S. President Donald Trump, as European allies seek to present a united front despite transatlantic tensions.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has raised its forecast for the rapid emergence of a strong El Niño, warning the climate pattern is likely to drive higher global temperatures and intensify extreme weather in the months ahead.
India is investigating a data breach at Tata Electronics that exposed sensitive documents linked to Apple's unreleased iPhone 18 Pro, marking the government's first public comments on the incident.
International politicians and religious leaders have paid respects to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei throughout the day, ahead of his six day funeral ceremony which begins on Saturday. His casket is currently on display at the Iman Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran.
Germany has requested urgent talks with China's ambassador following reports that Chinese authorities trained Russian soldiers, adding fresh strain to relations between Beijing and Europe amid the war in Ukraine.
President Donald Trump said Iran is keen to reach a deal with the United States, claiming Washington had paused engagement to allow funeral ceremonies for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
West Africa's Al Qaeda affiliate, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on military positions in Mali on Saturday (4 July) and said it had seized control of at least five of them.
Russia's Defence Ministry has said its forces are clearing the town of Lyman in Donetsk of Ukrainian forces, Moscow's state news agency Tass reported. Meanwhile, Russian attacks killed at least six people across three Ukrainian regions on Friday, regional officials said.
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to use next week's NATO summit in Ankara to advance his push for greater European responsibility in security, with a bilateral meeting planned with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as Paris seeks closer coordination with key allies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump on the 250th anniversary of American independence, saying Russia and the United States share a special responsibility for maintaining global security as the world's two largest nuclear powers.
China said on Saturday it had launched a coast guard patrol east of Taiwan, prompting a strong protest from Taipei, which accused Beijing of illegally expanding its authority and undermining regional stability.
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