United States President Donald Trump has responded to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s warning that a military action against Iran would trigger conflict in the Middle East.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday during his visit to Mar-a-Lago, the U.S. leader stated that Khamenei’s comment about a regional war was not surprising.
Expressing hope of making a deal with Tehran, the President said, “We’ll find out whether or not he (Khamenei) was right” if Iran’s leadership refuses to play ball.
Trump added that “the most powerful ships in the world” are already positioned near Iran, affirming the massive buildup of American naval forces.
Following the arrival of an aircraft carrier strike group, there are now about 10 U.S. warships in the region, including three destroyers and three littoral combat ships.
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which comprises destroyers and F-35C stealth warplanes, arrived in the Indian Ocean on January 27.
The USS Delbert D. Black docked in Eilat, Israel, on January 30. The assets correspond to those deployed to the Caribbean ahead of the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
Earlier on Friday at the Pentagon, US General Dan Caine, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, held discussions with Eyal Zamir, Israeli armed forces chief of staff.
Addressing a gathering in downtown Tehran on Sunday, 86-year-old Khamenei accused America of a discreet interest in Iran’s vast oil and natural gas resources.
The event marked his 1979 return to Iran from a 15-year exile in France, which led to the Iranian Revolution and the flight of the US-backed ruler, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.
Khamenei likened the anti-government demonstrations to a “coup,” saying the protesters’ goal was to “destroy sensitive and effective centres involved in running the country.”
“The recent sedition was similar to a coup. Of course, the coup was suppressed,” Khamenei told a crowd of supporters, vowing that Iran will not succumb to external pressure.