Trump warns "something very tough" ahead on Iran as Netanyahu heads to Washington

US President Trump is weighing a second aircraft carrier strike group off Iran as he prepares for possible military action, US media has reported.

The move comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flies to Washington for talks amid renewed US-Iran negotiations.

Trump told the news site Axios in an interview that he is “thinking” about sending another aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East.

“We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going,” he said.

The aircraft carrier would join the USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group, already in the region. That force includes fighter jets, Tomahawk missiles, and multiple ships, mirroring deployments during last year’s 12-day war.

The military buildup accompanies a resumption of diplomacy.

US and Iranian officials met last Friday in Oman for the first time since June’s conflict.

Local US media quoted Trump as saying, “Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time.” He said the second round of talks is expected next week.

The US President expressed cautious optimism. “Last time they didn't believe I would do it. They overplayed their hand. This time the talks are very different,” he said, claiming Iran “wants to make a deal very badly” and is negotiating more seriously than in previous rounds due to the military threat.

Tehran, however, has maintained it will only discuss its nuclear programme and will not relinquish its right to enrich uranium.

“Something very tough”

Trump added that any deal should cover Iran’s nuclear programme and ballistic missile stockpiles. “We can make a great deal with Iran,” he said.

Netanyahu, arriving in Washington on Wednesday, is sceptical of such prospects. Before boarding his flight, he told reporters he would “present to the president our outlook regarding the principles of these negotiations — the essential principles which, in my opinion, are important not only to Israel, but to everyone around the world who wants peace and security in the Middle East.”

Trump said he believes Netanyahu “also wants a deal. He wants a good deal.”

Meanwhile, Iran’s Ali Larijani, a top adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, met the Sultan of Oman and the Omani foreign minister on Tuesday and is expected in Doha on Wednesday to brief Qatari officials ahead of the next US-Iran talks.

On X, Larijani warned: “Americans must think wisely and not allow him, through posturing, to imply before his flight that 'I want to go and teach Americans the framework of the nuclear negotiations.' They must remain alert to the destructive role of the Zionists.”

Trump’s warnings come amid heightened US military readiness. “Either we reach a deal, or we’ll have to do something very tough,” the US President told Israel’s Channel 12, as the administration issued advisories for US-flagged commercial ships to avoid Iranian waters.