'We'll See What Happens': Trump Says Iran Seeks Deal On Nuclear Programme To Avoid US Strikes

Last Updated:January 31, 2026, 07:49 IST

Trump has dispatched a US 'armada' toward Iran, renewing warnings of possible military action over the killing of protesters or any move to restart its nuclear programme.

US President Donald Trump at the White House. (Image Credit: Reuters)

US President Donald Trump on Friday said Iran would seek to negotiate a deal on its nuclear and missiles programme to avoid US military action, despite Tehran refusing to curb its arsenal of missiles.

Trump has deployed a US “armada" towards Iran, renewing warnings against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear programme, as tensions rose across the Middle East again. The warships began moving from the Asia-Pacific region last week as tensions between Iran and the United States escalated following a harsh crackdown on protests across Iran in recent months.

“We’re now sending actually a larger number of ships to Iran, and hopefully we’ll make a deal. If we do make a deal, that’s good. If we don’t make a deal, we’ll see what happens," Trump told reporters at the Oval Office.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene against Iran over the killing of protesters, though demonstrations subsided last week. He also claimed Tehran had halted executions following his warnings.

“They were going to hang 837 people. And I tell them, if you do it, you’re going to pay a price like nobody’s ever paid before they pulled back. I appreciated that. But a lot of people are being killed. So we’ll see what happens. I can say this. They do want to make a deal," he said.

Asked if he had given Iran a deadline to enter talks on its nuclear and missile programs, Trump said “Yeah, I have", but refused to say what it was. The president had earlier warned the United States would act again if Tehran attempted to restart its nuclear programme after the US strikes in June last year.

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However, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country’s missile and defence capabilities would “never" be on the negotiating table. Araghchi said Tehran was “ready to begin negotiations if they take place on an equal footing, based on mutual interests and mutual respect", during a visit to Turkey, which is leading a diplomatic push to mediate between Tehran and Washington.

“I want to state firmly that Iran’s defensive and missile capabilities will never be subject to negotiation", adding that no plans were in place to meet with US officials about resuming talks.

Earlier, Trump announced on Truth Social that the fleet, led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, would deliver a “far worse" strike than Operation Midnight Hammer, the codename for America’s extensive air raids on Iran’s nuclear facilities last June.

US officials have asserted that any deal with Tehran would have to include a cap on Iran’s arsenal of long-range missiles, the removal of enriched uranium from the country and a ban on independent enrichment, as per reports.

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