President Trump is considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the waters surrounding Iran should Tehran refuse to play ball in a second round of negotiations with the US next week.
“Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” the president told Axios on Tuesday, referring to the US bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites this past June.
“Last time they didn’t believe I would do it. They overplayed their hand.”
“We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going,” Trump added.
Washington has approximately 10 warships in the Middle East, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group.
The US wants Tehran to give up its nuclear ambitions, its ballistic missile stockpile and refrain from brutalizing anti-government protesters and investing in terror proxy groups.
But during a round of talks in Oman on Friday, Iran refused to discuss any other issues outside of its nuclear program — which was already set back thanks to Trump’s June strikes.
Trump described the nuclear issue as a “matter of course” part of any negotiation, but insisted that an agreement with Iran must also address Tehran’s ballistic missile stockpiles, according to Axios.
Trump said the US “can make a great deal with Iran,” and Tehran “very much wants to make a deal.”
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His remarks come ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s White House visit on Wednesday, during which the two heads of state are expected to focus discussions largely on Iran.
Trump said the prime minister also wants a “good deal.”
Before boarding his flight to Washington on Tuesday, Netanyahu previewed what he intended to tell Trump.
“I will present to the president our understanding of the principles of the negotiations (with Iran) – the essential principles that are important not only to Israel – but to everyone who wants peace and security in the Middle East,” Netanyahu told reporters.
