Fort Bragg, United States. President Donald Trump told US troops that Iran has been “difficult” in nuclear negotiations and suggested that instilling fear in Tehran may be necessary to resolve the standoff peacefully. His remarks came after US officials said they were sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East.
Remarks on Iran negotiations and military deployment
Speaking to active-duty soldiers at Fort Bragg Army base in North Carolina on Friday, Trump said, “They’ve been difficult to make a deal,” referring to the Iranians. He added, “Sometimes you have to have fear. That’s the only thing that really will get the situation taken care of.”
During his address, Trump also referenced the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites last June. Earlier, he said the deployment of the world’s largest aircraft carrier was being made so “we’ll have it ready” should negotiations with Iran fail.
Oman facilitated talks between Iran and the US last week. A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry said the talks allowed Tehran to gauge Washington’s seriousness and showed enough consensus for diplomacy to continue. The date and venue of the next round of US-Iran talks have yet to be announced.
Visit tied to Venezuela operation
Trump travelled to Fort Bragg to meet special forces troops involved in the January 3 operation to seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Maduro, who faces narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges in US court, denies wrongdoing and maintains he is the rightful leader of Venezuela. In the weeks since the Venezuelan leader’s capture, Trump has worked with Maduro’s interim successor Delcy Rodriguez and sought broad control over the country’s oil industry.
Fort Bragg and North Carolina political backdrop
Fort Bragg is home to about 50,000 active-duty soldiers and is located in one of the country’s more competitive political states.
North Carolina is expected to host closely fought races for both the Senate and House of Representatives in November’s congressional election. The state is also expected to be a major prize in the 2028 presidential election.
What do you think Trump’s comments signal about the direction of US-Iran nuclear negotiations?
