US President Donald Trump expressed his support for the possibility of a change in the Iranian regime, while US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to hold negotiations with Iran on Tuesday in Geneva, with representatives of the Sultanate of Oman as mediators. For his part, the son of the ousted Shah, Reza Pahlavi, confirmed his readiness to lead a "transitional phase" leading to a "democratic and secular future" in Iran.

Published on: 02/14/2026 - 12:10 Last updated: 02/14/2026 - 17:30

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US President Donald Trump said on Friday, after participating in a military event at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, that he supports the possibility of a change in the Iranian regime, revealing a “tremendous force” that will soon be in the Middle East, at a time when the US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) sent a second aircraft carrier to the region.

Asked if he wanted regime change in Iran, Trump replied, "It seems like that would be the best thing that could happen." He refused to reveal who wants to take over power in Iran, but said, "There are people."

Trump added, "They talked and talked and talked for 47 years. Meanwhile, we lost many lives while they were talking. Legs and arms were amputated and faces were disfigured. This situation continued for a long time."

The deposed Shah's son pledges to lead a "transitional period"

For his part, the son of the ousted Shah, Reza Pahlavi, confirmed his readiness to lead a "transitional phase" leading to a "democratic and secular future" in Iran, in a speech he delivered on Saturday before a crowd of his supporters in the German city of Munich.

“I am here to ensure the transition towards a democratic and secular future,” Pahlavi said. He added, "I pledge to be the leader of the transitional phase for you, so that one day we will have the opportunity to determine the fate of our country through a democratic and transparent path to the ballot boxes," in front of an anti-authorities of the Islamic Republic gathering, in which about 200,000 people participated, according to the police.

Read also: Exclusive: Iran...the inevitable revolution

US-Iranian negotiations Tuesday in Geneva

Trump's military moves and tough statements come as Washington and Tehran seek to revive diplomacy over the long-running nuclear dispute between Tehran and the West.

An informed source told Reuters that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will hold negotiations with Iran on Tuesday in Geneva, in the presence of representatives of the Sultanate of Oman as mediators.

Read also: Iran is ready to reduce uranium enrichment in exchange for a “complete lifting of sanctions” amid continued repression at home

The source said that Witkopf and Kushner will also meet officials from Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday in Geneva as part of the American campaign to end the war in Ukraine.

Washington wants nuclear talks with Iran to also include the country's ballistic missiles, support for armed groups in the region, and treatment of the Iranian people. Iran said it was ready to discuss imposing restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions, but it ruled out linking this issue to missiles.

Trump threatened to launch strikes on Iran if an agreement was not reached, while Tehran pledged to respond, raising fears of a broader war as the United States mobilizes its forces in the Middle East.

The United States targeted Iranian nuclear facilities in strikes last year. When asked what was left to be targeted at nuclear sites, Trump said "dust." He added, "If we did, it would be the least we could do, but we would likely seize everything that was left."

A second American aircraft carrier is on its way to the Middle East

US officials described the complex process of transferring military assets. The aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford will join the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and a number of guided-missile destroyers, fighters and reconnaissance aircraft that were transferred to the Middle East during the past few weeks.

Read also: Gerald Ford...the largest aircraft carrier in the world is on its way to the Middle East

The aircraft carrier Gerald R. The Ford, the United States' newest aircraft carrier and the world's largest aircraft carrier, is in the Caribbean with its escort ships and participated in operations in Venezuela earlier this year.

In response to a question posed to him earlier Friday about why a second aircraft carrier was heading to the Middle East, Trump said, “If an agreement is not reached, we will need it... and if we need it, it will be ready.”

One of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the aircraft carrier would take at least a week to reach the Middle East.

The United States last deployed two aircraft carriers to the region last year, when it launched strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June.

There are 11 aircraft carriers in the US Army's arsenal, making them a rare resource whose work schedule is determined in advance and long before it is implemented.

US Southern Command, which oversees the military's operations in Latin America, said in a statement that it will continue to focus on combating "illicit activities and malign actors in the Western Hemisphere."

The Ford aircraft carrier has been deployed mainly since June 2025, and was supposed to be in the European region before it was suddenly sent to the Caribbean region in November.

The duration of deployment on aircraft carrier missions usually lasts nine months, but the idea of ​​extending the period is not a rare matter in times of increasing American military activity.

Navy officials have long warned that long deployments can negatively affect morale among crew members.

An aircraft carrier equipped with a nuclear reactor

Officials said that the US administration considered sending another aircraft carrier, the Bush, to the Middle East, but it is subject to the process of issuing certificates and documents and will take more than a month to reach the Middle East.

Equipped with a nuclear reactor, the Ford can carry more than 75 warplanes, including models such as the F-18 Super Hornet and A-2 Hawkeye, which can act as an early warning system.

The Ford carrier is also equipped with a complex radar system that can help monitor and control air navigation.

The ships accompanying the aircraft carrier in support have capabilities such as surface-to-air operations, surface-to-surface operations and anti-submarine capabilities.

France 24/Reuters

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