US President Donald Trump said on Friday that a change of power in Iran "would be the best thing that could happen," as his administration considers whether to take military action against Tehran.
The comments came shortly after Trump confirmed earlier Friday that he was sending a second aircraft carrier group to the Middle East and after speaking to troops at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.
“It seems like this would be the best thing that could happen,” Trump said in an exchange with reporters when asked about the push to overthrow Islamic clerical rule in Iran. “For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking.”
Although Trump has stated in recent weeks that further reducing Iran's nuclear program is his primary objective, he implied on Friday that this is just one of many concessions the United States is seeking from Iran.
During his trip to Washington this week to meet with Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that any deal include measures to stop Iran's support for proxy organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah and to neutralize its development of ballistic missiles.
"If we do it, that would be the least of the mission," Trump said, speaking of targeting Tehran's nuclear program, which suffered significant setbacks in US military strikes last year.
