President Trump has issued a direct warning to Iran, threatening regime change ‘with speed and violence’ as the accumulation of US military forces in the Middle East intensifies.
The President highlighted the ‘massive armada’ being assembled in the Persian Gulf through a post on TruthSocial made early on Wednesday, January 28. He noted that the carrier strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln surpasses the force previously sent to Venezuela.
“Like with Venezuela, it is, ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission,” the president declared, aiming to pressure the Shia-majority Muslim nation into abandoning its suspected nuclear aspirations.
This current military enhancement exceeds the scale of the deployments that preceded the US and Israel’s earlier strikes on Iran in June of the previous year. Those attacks targeted various nuclear facilities and research centers using ‘bunker buster’ bombs and missiles fired by Air Force and Navy units.
Back then, Trump claimed the brief operation had ‘completely and totally obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear agenda, with subsequent Pentagon assessments indicating that the strikes delayed the nation’s nuclear weapon development by roughly two years.
Now, six months later, the White House is actively seeking to bring Iran’s authoritarian and theocratic leaders into negotiations to persuade them to abandon their nuclear goals. However, Iran has not shown any willingness to engage with Trump’s version of gunboat diplomacy.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that no communication has occurred between the Iranian government and US envoy Steve Witkoff recently, nor have there been official requests for talks.
Responding to America’s display of military strength in the area, Araghchi communicated via state media: “Our stance is clear, negotiations don’t go along with threats and talks can only take place when there are no longer menaces and excessive demands.”
The Iranian regime faces significant pressure after a month of violent protests across the nation, with some non-profit organizations reporting to the BBC that the unrest has resulted in over 25,000 fatalities.
This turmoil is one reason the White House is applying intense pressure on the regime, presenting them with a choice: confront further US military actions amid widespread public discontent or comply with Trump’s nuclear agreement.
As American forces stand by for potential military engagement with Iran, US Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced an ongoing ‘multi-day readiness exercise to demonstrate the ability to deploy, disperse, and sustain combat airpower.’
The Air Forces Central division noted that these drills aim to prepare military personnel for ‘flexible response execution’.
At approximately 7 am EST, President Trump reiterated this threat on TruthSocial.