Trump says Iran ‘seriously talking’ with US as Tehran looks to avert strikes

US president says he hopes Iran will agree to give up nuclear weapons program; Iranian president says broader conflict will hurt both countries, not in anyone’s interest

US President Donald Trump said Saturday that Iran is “seriously talking” with Washington, as Tehran looks to avert military strikes amid weeks of heightened tensions with the United States.

Asked by reporters aboard Air Force One what his latest thinking is on Iran, Trump initially declined to respond before reiterating that he has dispatched significant military assets to the region.

Washington has deployed warships led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier off Iran’s shores, after Trump threatened to intervene in the wake of Tehran’s deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.

“I hope they negotiate something that’s acceptable,” he said, specifying that he is looking for a deal that leads to Iran giving up its nuclear weapons.

Asked about the Saudi defense minister reportedly saying Trump failing to strike would embolden Iran, the US president said: “Some people think that. Some people don’t.”

“You could make a negotiated deal that would be satisfactory with no nuclear weapons… They should do that, but I don’t know that they will. They are talking to us — seriously talking,” Trump added.

Earlier, Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said that progress had been made toward negotiations with the US, even as the Islamic Republic’s army chief warned Washington against launching military strikes.

“Contrary to the hype of the contrived media war, structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing,” said Larijani.

He was speaking a day after the Kremlin said he held talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday a broader conflict would hurt both Iran and the United States.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has never sought, and in no way seeks, war and it is firmly convinced that a war would be in the interest of neither Iran, nor the United States, nor the region,” he said in a call with Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, according to the Iranian presidency.

Trump confirmed on Saturday that there was a dialogue between Washington and Tehran.

“(Iran is) talking to us, and we’ll see if we can do something, otherwise we’ll see what happens…We have a big fleet heading out there,” he told Fox News. “They are negotiating.”

Qatar’s foreign ministry said the country’s premier, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as foreign minister, held talks in Tehran with Larijani on Saturday to try to “de-escalate tensions in the region.”

Fears of conflict

The arrival of the US flotilla has raised fears of a direct confrontation with Iran, which has warned it would respond with missile strikes on US bases, ships and allies — notably Israel — in the event of an attack.

Trump has said he believes Iran will make a deal over its nuclear and missile programs rather than face American military action.

Tehran has said it is ready for nuclear talks if its missiles and defense capabilities are not on the agenda.

Iranian army chief Amir Hatami has warned the US and Israel against any attack, saying his forces were “at full defensive and military readiness.”

“If the enemy makes a mistake, without a doubt it will endanger its own security, the security of the region, and the security of the Zionist regime,” Hatami said, official news agency IRNA reported.

Iran’s nuclear technology and expertise “cannot be eliminated,” he added.

With tensions heightened, Iranian authorities rushed to deny that several incidents on Saturday were linked to any attack or sabotage.

They included an explosion in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas that local firefighters said was caused by a gas leak.

Naval exercise

On Friday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) would conduct “a two-day live-fire naval exercise” in the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit hub for global energy supplies.

CENTCOM warned the IRGC against “any unsafe and unprofessional behavior near US forces,” drawing a sharp response from Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

“The US military is now attempting to dictate how our Powerful Armed Forces should conduct target practice in their own turf,” he wrote on X.

The United States designated the IRGC a terrorist organization in 2019, a move the European Union followed on Thursday, prompting angry reactions from Tehran.

The US carried out strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites in June when it briefly joined Israel’s 12-day war against its regional foe.

Israeli attacks also hit military sites across the country and killed senior officers and top nuclear scientists.

Nationwide protests against the rising cost of living erupted on December 28, before turning into a broader anti-government movement that peaked on January 8 and 9 in what authorities called “riots” blamed on the US and Israel.

‘Serve the people’

The official death toll from the authorities stands at 3,117.

However, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it has confirmed 6,563 deaths, including 6,170 protesters and 124 children.

On Saturday, Pezeshkian urged his government to heed public grievances and “serve the people.”

Some Iranians at the Kapikoy border point separating Iran and Turkey, where a little over 100 people crossed on Saturday, said they wanted to be free of the clerical leaders in Tehran.

“They were shooting us in the back. We were even targeted through our windows,” said Shabnan, using a pseudonym. “Everyone has lost loved ones, friends, neighbors, acquaintances.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.