Trump Expresses Hope to De-escalate Tensions with Iran

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FRANCE 24
2026-01-30 06:02:00

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US President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum attend a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US on January 29, 2026. © Evelyn Hockstein, Reuters

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he hoped to avoid military action against Iran, which has threatened to strike American bases and aircraft carriers in response to any attack. “I built (up) the military in my first term, and now we have a group headed out to a place called Iran, and hopefully we won’t have to use it,” Trump told reporters, adding that he planned to hold further talks with Tehran on a possible nuclear deal. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

Warships and fighter jets: What is the ‘massive’ US armada on its way to Iran?

Trump says he plans to talk to Iran while Pentagon prepares for possible action

President Donald Trump said ⁠on Thursday he planned to speak with Iran, even as the US dispatched another warship to the Middle East and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said ​the military would be ready to carry out whatever the ‍president decided.

Speaking to reporters, Trump did not elaborate on the nature or timing of any dialogue ​or say who from Washington would lead the negotiations.

“I am ​planning on it, yeah,” Trump said when asked about possible discussions with Tehran. “We have a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now, and it would be great if we didn’t have to use them.”

  • Iran has threatened to instantly strike US bases and aircraft carriers in response to any attack.
  • The EU’s decision to put the powerful Revolutionary Guards in a category similar to that of the Islamic State (IS) group and al Qaeda marks a symbolic shift in Europe’s approach to Iran’s leadership.
  • UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for diplomacy to resolve spiraling tensions between Iran and the United States.

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