"What he's saying: In the interview, Trump mentioned his decision to dispatch the Lincoln. "We have a big armada next to Iran. Bigger than Venezuela," Trump said. He declined to discuss the options presented to him by his national security team, or which one he prefers. At the same time, he said diplomacy remained an option. "They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions. They want to talk.""
"Between the lines: Some more hawkish members of Trump's circle have urged him to enforce his own red line after he promised to help the protesters and punish the regime. Others have questioned what bombing Tehran would actually achieve, and are more intrigued by the idea of using the regime's weakness to push for a deal. U.S. officials say any deal would have to include the removal of all enriched uranium from Iran, a cap on Iran's stockpile of long-range missiles."
Trump has not made a final decision on responding to Iran and will hold further consultations while being presented with additional military options. The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group entered CENTCOM's area of responsibility, enhancing available military choices. Trump cited the carrier deployment and declined to detail his preferred options, while saying diplomacy remains possible and asserting Iran has sought talks. Some advisers urge enforcing a red line and punishing the regime, while others question the value of bombing and favor leveraging Iran's weakness to seek a deal with strict nuclear and proxy limitations.
Read at Axios
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