DONALD Trump warned Iran mullahs a second aircraft carrier armada could steam into action unless they give up their nukes.
The US president ramped up his threats after fanatical Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s negotiators flatly refused to stop enriching uranium or broaden the scope of crunch talks.
Trump is demanding the rogue state gives up its dream of becoming a nuclear power, halts its ballistic missile programme and stops protester massacres feared to have killed 36,500.
But hopes of a breakthrough in talks due to resume this week appeared bleak as US sea and air forces already in position stood ready to strike.
The nuclear-powered USS Abraham Lincoln was already in range of Iran backed by hundreds of warplanes at bases across the region.
But Trump warned an even bigger force could be drafted in to turn the screw on Tehran’s teetering regime.
Trump said: “Either we reach a deal, or we’ll have to do something very tough.
“We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going.”
The US commander-in-chief’s blast came as Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, met the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, to discuss talks launched last week.
Iranians have insisted they are “not scared” by US threats and have, so far, given no indication of giving any concessions to US demands.
The oppressed nation remained on maximum alert yesterday fearing a repeat of a US Stealth Bomber blitz last June – which began between rounds of peace talks.
But analysts said Trump may well make his enemy sweat this time – until an even more overwhelming battle group gathers.
One option was to move America’s newest and most advanced nuclear-powered supercarrier USS Gerald R. Ford from the Caribbean along with its flotilla of warships.
Tension spiked on Monday when the US issued guidelines to all American-flagged commercial ships to stay “as far as possible” from Iranian territorial waters.
Trump has been warning for weeks that his country’s military is “locked and loaded and ready to go”.
He has also compared Iran’s situation with Venezuela, where a US military operation on January 3 resulted in the audacious snatch of narco tyrant Nicolas Maduro.
Trump is now set to meet Benjamin Netanyahu for crunch talks over any future deal with Iran as Israel’s Prime Minister lands in Washington.
The pair are looking to hash out a deal to maintain stability in the Middle East after Trump boasted how well negotiations have been going between his envoys and Tehran.
This optimism spooked Netanyahu to push forward his scheduled visit to the US by a week so he can have his say on the nuclear talks, The Times reported.
Netanyahu wants to stress upon his American counterpart that any deal must not only address its nuclear ambitions but also curb Iran’s ballistic missiles and address Iran’s regional reach through its militant proxy groups.
The regime’s representatives have been adamant that it will only negotiate on nukes as they even cut last Friday’s peace talks short in Oman over fresh demands.
Trump said he didn’t think Netanyahu was nervous about the US-Iran negotiations.
“He also wants a deal. He wants a good deal,” Trump said.
Before boarding his flight to Washington, Netanyahu said he would “present to the president our approach around our principles on the negotiations”.
And Trump warned mullahs that the “consequences would be steep” if Iran did not back down.
It’s not just at sea that the president is “laying the groundwork” for ending the repressive Islamic regime.
Satellite photos reveal the huge American military buildup for the first time at an army base in Jordan.
The imagery shows at least a dozen F-15E attack planes at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base.
The military build up falls short of the Pentagon’s deployment last year which struck against the Iranian nuclear program, former and current US officials told The Washington Post.
It does however, provide credibility to Trump’s continued warnings as he continues to push for a deal to be signed with the Islamic regime.
