Trump Threatens Iran as US Reinforces Regional Forces (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: The build-up of the U.S. military presence in the Middle East has been matched by an explicit threat from President Trump. Not over the deadly crackdown this month by the regime against its own people, but because of its nuclear program. Mr. Trump posted on social media that a massive armada is heading to Iran, calling on it to negotiate a fair deal with no nuclear weapons and saying that time is running out. Iran's foreign minister responded by saying the country's armed forces were ready with their fingers on the trigger. In a moment, we'll get the thoughts of our North America editor in Washington, but first here's our diplomatic correspondent, Caroline Hawley.

[00:00:40] Speaker 2: Filmed surreptitiously inside the emergency room of a hospital in Tehran, raw grief. They killed my brother, the woman screams. We still don't know the exact toll, but Iranians who witnessed what happened believe tens of thousands are dead, many more seriously injured.

[00:01:05] Speaker 3: The scale is truly shocking, and it's not just a turning point in the history of the Iranian people. I would say in contemporary history, it qualifies as one of the worst mass killings, and it is absolutely essential to the extent possible to get at the truth, to collect the evidence.

[00:01:27] Speaker 2: As Washington weighs up what to do next, one of the American military's largest aircraft carriers with up to 50 fighter jets on board has arrived in the region. The US has bases around the Middle East, which have now been significantly reinforced. And this morning, a new warning from President Trump. A massive armada is heading to Iran, he said. Hopefully, Iran will quickly come to the table and negotiate, warning that if it doesn't, the next attack on Iran will be far worse. Last June, US bombers joined Israel's attack on the country, hitting three sites central to its long-standing nuclear programme. Mr Trump said Iran could have no nuclear weapons. Iran's mission at the UN replied, saying it was ready for dialogue, but then, in Trump-style capitals, that if pushed, it would respond like never before. But the US administration believes the Iranian regime is now weaker than ever.

[00:02:23] Speaker 4: So the core challenges, the protests may have ebbed, but they will spark up again in the future, because this regime, unless they are willing to change and or leave, have no way of addressing the legitimate and consistent complaints of the people of Iran who deserve better.

[00:02:40] Speaker 2: The protests earlier this month took place in every corner of the country, as did the brutal suppression, from Tehran to the holy city of Mashhad to Amur, close to the Caspian Sea. I've been sent these images from a woman who was there. She said she was too scared to film the security forces on the street, some wearing black masks, shooting with Kalashnikovs. The Iranians now want accountability for all the killings. They're no longer protesting. It's too dangerous. But behind closed doors, the anger at the regime has only intensified. And a battle-scarred nation waits to see what comes next. Caroline Hawley, BBC News.

[00:03:26] Speaker 1: Let's go straight to Sarah Smith in Washington. How serious is the president, Sarah? Is he really preparing to strike Iran again?

[00:03:36] Speaker 5: Intriguingly, we heard two slightly different messages from the Trump administration today. We had Marco Rubio explaining that the US needs to maintain enough power and force in the Middle East to defend itself against possible attacks from Iran on American military bases that there are in the Gulf, and they need enough people there for a possible pre-emptive action if they got an indication that Iran was preparing to strike, they would take action first. That's quite different from the message that Donald Trump was saying, where he was almost threatening military action if Iran doesn't do a deal to get rid of its nuclear weapons programme. We heard from Marco Rubio saying that he thinks the Iranian regime is weaker now than it ever has been. And that's the key. Donald Trump senses an opportunity to strike at a weakened leadership in Tehran. How is he actually going to do that? I mean, he talked in his message about the successful military actions that have definitely emboldened him after the action he took in Venezuela and earlier last year in Iran, but it would be a very different thing. It wouldn't be the sharp shot that he was able to deliver there if he was to try to take action against the leadership in Iran.