'We’re not looking for regime change...we’re looking for no nuclear weapons,' Trump said.
President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is not seeking regime change in Iran, despite several weeks of tension with Tehran and the deployment of additional military resources to the region.
Trump took a hard line on Iran throughout his presidential campaign and first two years in office. A vociferous critic of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action —colloquially known as the Iran nuclear deal—Trump withdrew the U.S. from the landmark agreement last year. Economic and diplomatic sanctions are the backbone of Trump’s “maximum pressure” strategy, but tensions increased this month when the U.S. sent an aircraft carrier strike group, B-52 bombers and a Patriot missile battery to the region citing an imminent threat from either Iranian forces or the country's proxies. Last week, the president also announced that some 1,500 troops would be sent to the region to counter Iranian influence.
Speaking Monday during his four-day state visit to Japan, Trump said his focus was reaching an agreement with Tehran. “I’m not looking to hurt Iran at all,” he told reporters, according to The Hill. “I’m looking to have Iran say, ‘no nuclear weapons,’” the president explained.
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