Rubio says Trump 'open to meeting Khamenei' but US president backs 'regime change' in Iran, deploys another warship - What's happening

In a big statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference confirmed that US President Donald Trump would want a diplomatic solution to the tensions in Iran, adding that he is open to meet the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He also confirmed that discussions on the same can take place soon. This comes after Trump once again suggested “regime change” in Iran and deployed another US warship from the Caribbean Sea to the West Asia.

“I serve under a President that’s willing to meet with anybody…I’m pretty confident in saying that if the Ayatollah said tomorrow he wanted to meet with President Trump, the President would meet him — not because he agrees with the Ayatollah but because he thinks that’s the way you solve problems in the world, and he doesn’t view meeting someone as a concession….The President would always prefer to end problems with a deal, Rubio said in an interview to Bloomberg, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Amid ongoing nuclear talks, Trump batted for regime change in Iran. He said that a change in power in Iran would be the best thing that could happen as the US administration weighs whether to take military action. However, when asked about his plans to meet Khamenei, he declined to answer, adding that “there are people.” This week, POTUS did not rule out an option of striking Iran. "Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time," he said. Earlier, US Vice President JD Vance warned Iran and said that there is "another option on the table" if Tehran fails to cut a deal that ensures the nation will not have nuclear weapons.

Despite Rubio's clarification, Trump confirmed the deployment of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R Ford, from the Caribbean Sea to the West Asia, further increasing US military buildup in the region. Earlier in January, Trump had deployed USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, approximately 500 km off Iran's coast.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Trump this week. In the meeting Trump urged Netanyahu for continuation of talks with Iran. Both sides agreed to intensify the “maximum pressure policy” in order to force Iran to give up its nuclear program, including clamping down on the sale of Tehran’s oil to China, according to a Saturday report citing two US officials.

A Reuters report also said that the US military is preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if Trump orders an attack. Reuters quoted two US officials without revealing their identity and added that the operation could be far more serious conflict than previously seen between the countries.

Analysts say that Iran fears that Trump may order strike on Tehran despite ongoing nuclear talks. It stems from the June 2025 attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. On June 19, 2025, Trump had told reporters he would decide whether to strike "within the next two weeks". However, on June 21, 'Operation Midnight Hammer' was launched on his order and three key Iranian nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan were hit.