NEW YORK, January 31. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has said that the United States’ plan is to negotiate with Iran, adding that Washington expects to achieve results.
"Look, the plan is that [Iran is] talking to us, and we’ll see if we can do something, otherwise we’ll see what happens. We have a big fleet heading out there, bigger than we had - and still have, actually - in Venezuela," he said in an interview with Fox News journalist Jacqui Heinrich. Trump's words have been published on the journalist's page on the X
Trump agreed with the view that Iran is willing to negotiate, but it is unclear what its goals are. "Well, that's true, but they are negotiating, so we'll see what happens. You know, the last time they negotiated, we had to take out their nuclear, didn't work, you know. Then we took it out a different way, and we'll see what happens," he said.
On January 26, Trump announced that a massive armada was heading toward Iran. He expressed hope that Tehran would return to the negotiating table and reach a fair and equitable deal that would entail a complete abolition of nuclear weapons. The American leader noted that in June 2025, the United States launched strikes on nuclear facilities in the Islamic Republic, a move dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer. He warned that the next attack would be even worse, calling for not letting that happen.
Tehran responded to Trump's remarks by threatening the entire military infrastructure of the United States and its allies in the Middle East in the event of any aggression against Iran. On January 28, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasized that Iran was ready for negotiations, but they must take place without threats and intimidation from the United States.