As U.S. forces continue to surge into the Middle East, President Donald Trump said Iran is signaling interest in negotiations with Washington, even as tensions between the two countries remain high.
According to Fox News, in an interview published Monday by Axios, Trump said Tehran has made repeated efforts to open lines of communication, suggesting Iranian leaders are eager to strike some kind of agreement.
“They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions. They want to talk,” Trump told the outlet.
Despite that outreach, U.S. officials cautioned that any agreement would come with sweeping demands.
According to those officials, Iran would be required to remove all enriched uranium, sharply limit its long-range missile arsenal, alter its support for regional proxy forces, and end independent uranium enrichment altogether.
Iranian leaders, the officials noted, have not agreed to those conditions.
Trump described the overall situation as “in flux,” pointing to an expanding American military presence near Iran as both a deterrent and a signal of seriousness.
“There’s a big armada next to Iran. Bigger than Venezuela,” Trump said, referring to recent U.S. naval deployments in the region.
That buildup includes the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, which entered U.S. Central Command waters in the Indian Ocean on Monday, according to a senior U.S. official previously cited by Fox News Digital.
Trump had earlier addressed the deployments during remarks to reporters on Jan. 21, framing them as a precautionary measure rather than a rush toward conflict.
“We have a big flotilla going in that direction, and we’ll see what happens,” Trump said at the time. “We have a big force going towards Iran. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely.”
The heightened military posture comes as Iran faces significant turmoil at home. Protests that began on Dec. 28 have spread across the country, fueling instability within the regime.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the confirmed death toll linked to the protests has reached 5,848, with another 17,091 deaths still under investigation.
Amid the unrest, reports indicate that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has retreated to a fortified underground facility, underscoring concerns about the regime’s grip on power.
Trump is expected to continue consulting with advisers and allies this week, Axios reported. White House officials told the outlet that while diplomacy remains possible, a military strike against Iran has not been ruled out.
