Iran threatens to sink US aircraft carrier if nuclear talks fail

Iran has threatened to sink the United States (U.S.) aircraft carriers if the nuclear talks collapse amid the second round of talks between officials from two countries.

In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the U.S. against any military action in the region.

In one post, he wrote, “The US President keeps saying that they have the strongest military force in the world. The strongest military force in the world may at times be struck so hard that it cannot get up again.”

In a separate post, Ali Khamenei acknowledged the U.S. aircraft carrier as a dangerous military hardware.

However, he added that more dangerous than that warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the “bottom of the sea.”

In a third post, the Iranian Supreme Leader doubled down against the U.S. President Donald Trump, saying, “You will not be able to eliminate the Islamic Republic like your predecessors could not.”

His remarks came after a U.S. official told Reuters that the U.S. was preparing for a sustainable military campaign against the Middle Eastern country if the negotiations don’t succeed.