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President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he believed Iran was negotiating “seriously” with the United States, stressing that he hoped an “acceptable” deal could be negotiated.
The president’s comments came as he reportedly weighed options based on a possible military strike against Iran amid widespread protests and violent repression in the country.
When asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One whether he had decided to launch a strike against Iran, Trump replied, “I certainly can’t tell you.”
“But we have very large and powerful ships “I’m going in that direction,” he added. “I hope they negotiate something that is acceptable.”
Iran will retaliate “with everything we have” if we attack, senior diplomat warns.
President Donald Trump rides Marine One for his departure from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The president then sidestepped a question about whether Tehran would be emboldened if the United States chose not to launch strikes against Iran, saying: “Some people think so. Some people don’t.”
“You could make a negotiated agreement it would be satisfactory without nuclear weapons,” Trump said. “They should, but I don’t know if they will.” But they talk to us. We are being spoken to seriously.”
Trump said that the United States does not share military plans with Gulf allies while negotiating with Iran, even as U.S. naval forces invade the region.
Trump says Iran called ‘numerous times’ for deal as carrier enters Mideast waters
President Donald Trump speaks to the media aboard Air Force One as he travels from Washington, DC to West Palm Beach, Florida, January 31, 2026. (SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)
Speaking to Jacqui Heinrich, Fox News Channel’s senior White House correspondent, on Saturday, Trump said: “We can’t tell them the plan. If I told them the plan, it would be almost as bad as telling you – it might be worse, in fact.”
“But listen, the plan is that [Iran is] “We’re talking, and we’ll see if we can do something,” Trump continued. “If not, we’ll see what happens. … We have a big fleet there, bigger than the one we had – and still have – in Venezuela.”
Iran’s parliament speaker said on Sunday that the Islamic Republic now considers all European Union armies terrorist groups after the bloc declared the country paramilitary. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist group for its suppression of nationwide protests.
Iran again invoked a 2019 law to declare other countries’ military groups terrorists following the United States designation of the Guard as a terrorist organization that year.
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President Donald Trump leaves after a signing ceremony for his Peace Council initiative during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
The announcement by Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, comes as the Islamic Republic also plans live-fire military exercises on Sunday and Monday in the strategic region. Strait of Hormuzthe narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which about a fifth of the world’s oil trade passes.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
