President Donald Trump has warned Iran to immediately abandon its nuclear ambitions and stop what he described as the mass killing of protesters or face possible US military action, as American warships move into the Middle East.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday at the premiere of the documentary Melania, Trump said Iran was running out of time and insisted that Washington’s growing naval presence was intended to enforce compliance, not posture.
“Iran has to do two things,” Trump said. “Number one, no nuclear. And number two, stop killing protesters. They are killing them by the thousands.”
He added that a “lot of very big, very powerful ships” were sailing towards Iran, warning that while the US hoped not to use them, it would not hesitate if provoked.
The comments came as Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, arrived in Turkey for talks aimed at assessing whether renewed diplomacy with Washington is possible. Araghchi is expected to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, but his initial remarks suggested little optimism about a breakthrough.
Trump said he had been speaking with Iranian officials and intended to continue doing so, though it was unclear whether the contacts were direct or conducted through intermediaries.
Earlier in the week, Trump had escalated his rhetoric on Truth Social, urging Iran to “Come to the Table” and negotiate a “fair and equitable deal” that guarantees “NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS.”
He warned that a “massive armada” was heading towards Iran and stood “ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfil its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary.” While the White House insists the military build-up is designed to force concessions, it also appears to be using the threat of force as leverage to revive stalled negotiations.
From Tehran’s perspective, however, the US demands are increasingly viewed as an assault on Iran’s sovereignty.
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has outlined sweeping conditions for any deal, including a complete halt to Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme, the removal of existing stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, strict limits on Iran’s missile capabilities, and an end to its support for allied armed groups in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
Araghchi rejected the US position, insisting that Iran has never sought nuclear weapons and remains open to negotiations only under fair and non-coercive terms.
“Iran has always welcomed a mutually beneficial, fair and equitable nuclear deal – on equal footing, and free from coercion, threats, and intimidation,” he said. “Such weapons have no place in our security calculations, and we have NEVER sought to acquire them.”