US President Donald Trump said Friday he had given Iran a deadline to make a deal, as Washington moved significant military assets to the Middle East ahead of a potential strike on the Islamic Republic.

Asked by reporters in the Oval Office whether he’d set a deadline for Iran before a potential strike, Trump confirmed that he had communicated one directly to Tehran, adding, “Only they know for sure.”

He did not reveal the timing of that deadline.

Asked if there was a timeline for when the US forces in the region might pull back, Trump was noncommittal. “They have to float someplace. They might as well float near Iran.”

He reiterated his “appreciation” of the regime’s purported calling off of over 800 executions of anti-government protesters — something Tehran has not confirmed it was planning to do.

Trump had threatened to strike the regime if it killed protesters, which it is widely reported to have done in the thousands.

Reporter:
Is Iran giving any deadline for reaching a deal?

Trump:
Only they know for sure. pic.twitter.com/6uOGziaK1m

— MOSCOW NEWS ???????? (@MOSCOW_EN) January 30, 2026

“We have a large armada flotilla heading toward Iran right now,” Trump reiterated.

“Hopefully, we’ll make a deal. If we do make a deal, that’s good. If we don’t make a deal, we’ll see what happens,” Trump said.

The US has said a deal with Iran will have to include a ban on uranium enrichment in Iran, the removal of already-enriched uranium from Iran, a cap on Iran’s stockpile of long-range missiles and a rollback of Iran’s support for proxies in the region — all terms that Tehran has said it will not accept.

Iran’s top diplomat said Friday that his country’s missile and defense capabilities would “never” be on the negotiating table.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was “ready to begin negotiations if they take place on an equal footing, based on mutual interests and mutual respect,” during a visit to Turkey, which has led a diplomatic push to mediate between Tehran and Washington.

But, he emphasized, “I want to state firmly that Iran’s defensive and missile capabilities will never be subject to negotiation,” adding that no plans were in place to meet with US officials about resuming talks.

“We will preserve and expand our defensive capabilities to whatever extent is necessary to defend the country,” Araghchi said, as he met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Serhan Afacan, director of........

© The Times of Israel