US President Donald Trump on Friday said Iran is ready to talk, even as tensions stay high and military threats loom in the background. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump sounded confident that Tehran wants to avoid a fight. “They do want to make a deal,” he said. Donald Trump also revealed that the US has set a deadline for Iran to begin talks, though he did not say when that deadline expires. “Hopefully we’ll make a deal. If we don’t make a deal, we’ll see what happens,” Trump added, pointing to the growing US military presence near Iran.
As per reports, Donald Trump’s remarks came after he ordered a US naval carrier group to move closer to Iranian waters. The deployment has raised fears of possible military action if diplomacy fails. On social media, Trump described the force as a “massive armada” led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. Urging Tehran to act quickly, he wrote, “Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS.” Donald Trump warned that “time is running out” and said the next attack would be “far worse” if Iran refuses to comply.
Iran Pushes Back On Terms Of Donald Trump
Iran, however, pushed back against the pressure. According to reports, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is open to talks, but only under strict conditions. Iran is “ready to begin negotiations if they take place on an equal footing, based on mutual interests and mutual respect,” he said. At the same time, he drew a firm red line, stating, “I want to state firmly that Iran’s defensive and missile capabilities will never be subject to negotiation.” Araghchi also made it clear that there are no current plans to meet US officials to restart talks.
The standoff comes as Donald Trump has repeatedly warned of military action if Iran does not meet US demands, especially limits on its nuclear programme and missile development. Iran has warned it would respond strongly to any US strike. Turkey has offered to mediate between the two sides, but no breakthrough has been announced.
Pentagon Signals Readiness
According to The New York Times, Trump has recently been briefed on a broader and more aggressive set of military options against Iran. These plans go beyond earlier discussions and include strikes designed to cause deeper damage to Iran’s nuclear and missile sites, and even options that could put US forces directly on Iranian soil through targeted raids. Officials speaking on condition of anonymity said the plans reflect a major escalation in thinking.
Reports say that, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said that “They should not pursue nuclear capabilities, and we will be prepared to deliver whatever this president expects of the War Department,” he said. Pointing to a recent US operation that captured former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Hegseth said, “No other military in the world could have executed the most sophisticated, powerful raid I would say in world history.”
Trump also reminded the world of past action, referring to a June 2025 campaign in which US forces, working with Israel, struck multiple Iranian nuclear facilities.
