Axios: As power force gather up… Trump says Iran wants dialogue

A US Navy strike force led by an aircraft carrier was stationed in the Middle East on Tuesday as Iran confirmed its intention to respond to any attack, while President Donald Trump said he believed Iran was still seeking dialogue.

Meanwhile, arrests continued in Iran on Tuesday over the protests. Iranian human rights groups abroad said authorities had arrested 41,880 people under internet shutdowns since January 8.

Washington hasn’t ruled out a new military intervention against Tehran in response to the crackdown on protests, which, according to rights groups working from abroad, has killed thousands of people.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the arrival of a strike group led by the US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in the territorial waters of the Middle East, without revealing its exact location.

Since Iran responded with a crackdown on protests accompanied by a sweeping internet shutdown, Trump has sent conflicting signals about whether or not to intervene, while some opponents of the regime in Iran see US intervention as the only way to bring about change.

“We’ve a large fleet near Iran, bigger than the fleet near Venezuela,” Trump said in an interview with Axios on Monday, alluding to the military operation his forces carried out in Venezuela that resulted in the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro.

Trump added: “They want to reach an agreement… I know that… They called several times… They want dialogue”.

Axios quoted a senior US official as saying, “If they want to contact us, and they know the terms, we will discuss”.

Axios reported that Trump refused to discuss the options presented to him by the national security team, or to specify what he preferred.

Analysts said options include strikes on military installations or targeted attacks against commanders, led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as part of a sweeping effort to topple the ruling regime since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the shah.

The New York Times reported that Trump had received several US intelligence reports indicating that the Iranian government’s position is weakening and that its grip on power is at its weakest.

US Senator Lindsey Graham said that he had spoken with Trump in recent days about Iran, pointing out that the goal is to end the regime.

“They may stop killing today, but if they stay in power next month, they will go back to killing,” Graham said.

In recent days, Iranian officials have appeared wary of pouring oil on the fire.

Tehran announced an open channel of communication between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff, despite the severance of diplomatic relations between the two countries.