Trump tells Iran 'no nukes, protester killings' to avoid U.S. strikes
by Paul Godfrey · UPIJan. 30 (UPI) -- U.S. President Donald Trump spelled out his terms to Iran if it wants to avoid being struck by a U.S. armada standing by in the Gulf, saying it needed to decommission its nuclear program and stop using deadly force against its own people.
Speaking to reporters in Washington at the premiere of first lady Melania Trump's documentary Melania, Trump said that he'd been in contact with the Iranian leadership and told them they needed to do two things: "Number one, no nuclear. And number two, stop killing protesters."
"They're killing them by the thousands. We have a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now, and it would be great if we didn't have to use them," he said.
Trump's demand came two days after he announced he had ordered the deployment of a "massive" fleet of U.S. Navy vessels to Iran headed by the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, an even larger "armada" than that used in Venezuela, in order to pressure Tehran to negotiate a nuclear deal.
The developments saw a flurry of diplomatic activity in the region Friday, with Turkish President Recep Erdogan stepping in to offer to help try to defuse the situation in a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
The state-run Anadolu Agency said Erdogan was ready to mediate between Iran and the United States to help de-escalate and advance efforts to resolve differences.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was also set to meet with his Turkish counterpart in Istanbul on Friday.
On Wednesday, Araghchi took to social media to warn that Iranian forces were well prepared "with their fingers on the trigger" to "immediately and powerfully respond" to any attack, saying the 12-day war with Israel in June had made them stronger and that Iran's hand would never be forced by "threats and intimidation."
"Iran has always welcomed a mutually beneficial, fair and equitable NUCLEAR DEAL -- on equal footing, and free from coercion, threats, and intimidation -- which ensures Iran's rights to PEACEFUL nuclear technology, and guarantees NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS," Araghchi wrote on X.
The latest figures from the Human Rights Activists News Agency on Wednesday put the number of confirmed deaths of protesters since the demonstrations erupted Dec. 28, at 5,993, 113 of them children under the age of 18 and 53 bystanders. Another 17,000 deaths are being investigated to determine how they died.
More than 42,000 people have been detained.
The week in photos: Protestors, NFL, premieres
Picketers hold signs outside at the entrance to Mount Sinai Hospital on Monday in New York City. Nearly 15,000 nurses across New York City are now on strike after no agreement was reached ahead of the deadline for contract negotiations. It is the largest nurses' strike in NYC's history. The hospital locations impacted by the strike include Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside, Mount Sinai West, Montefiore Hospital and New York Presbyterian Hospital. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo