Khamenei threatens to sink US carrier as negotiations resume

“More dangerous than the aircraft carrier is the weapon that can send it to the bottom of the sea,” Khamenei threatened.

By World Israel News Staff

As a second round of high-stakes U.S.–Iran negotiations opened in Geneva, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a pointed warning to Washington, escalating rhetoric even as diplomatic talks resumed.

Responding to repeated U.S. military warnings, Khamenei said, “The U.S. president keeps saying that his army is the strongest in the world. The strongest army in the world can sometimes receive such a strong blow that it cannot rise again.”

He added, “They constantly say we sent an aircraft carrier toward Iran. Well, an aircraft carrier is certainly a dangerous tool, but more dangerous than the aircraft carrier is the weapon that can send it to the bottom of the sea.”

The remarks came as negotiations formally got underway Tuesday, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arriving in Geneva and meeting Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, whose country is serving as mediator between the sides.

According to Iranian officials speaking to Reuters, progress in the talks will depend on Washington lifting sanctions and avoiding what Tehran describes as unrealistic demands.

Iran is reportedly seeking the removal of all sanctions while framing discussions as confidence-building measures around what it calls its peaceful nuclear program, stressing that no outcome has been predetermined.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told the IRNA news agency that the second round of indirect negotiations effectively began a day earlier with preparatory discussions between Iran and Oman.

He said Iran’s positions had already been conveyed and that, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Geneva time, the Iranian and American delegations were present at the negotiation venue, exchanging messages through Omani intermediaries.

Baghaei added that consultations involving the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency distinguished this round from previous talks and said the Iranian delegation arrived “fully prepared” on both nuclear-technical and economic issues, including sanctions relief, which he said demonstrated Tehran’s seriousness about achieving a results-focused dialogue.

Speaking Monday aboard Air Force One, President Donald Trump said he would be involved “indirectly” in the negotiations. “I’ll be involved in those talks, indirectly. And they’ll be very important,” Trump told reporters, adding that he believes Tehran is motivated to reach an agreement.

“I think they want to make a deal. I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal,” Trump said.

The sharp exchange of warnings and demands highlights the tense backdrop surrounding the negotiations, with diplomacy proceeding alongside increasingly explicit threats from Tehran and continued U.S. military signaling in the region.