US 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," Trump told reporters Thursday at the Kennedy Center.
Trump was attending the premiere of the "Melania" movie when he made the comments.
His statement follows a new US naval destroyer entering the Middle East, according to what a US official told Reuters on Thursday, as Iranian officials prepare for military confrontation with the US.
The USS Delbert D. Black entered the region sometime in the past 48 hours, bringing the number of destroyers in the Middle East to six, along with an aircraft carrier and three other littoral combat ships.
The IRGC received a batch of 1,000 new drones while Iran prepares for a military confrontation, as Tehran believes that coming to an agreement that meets demands put forth by the US would be more costly than war, informed sources in Tehran told the Hezbollah-aligned Al-Akhbar on Thursday.
Trump: 'No nukes, stop killing protesters' - KAN
Trump stated that he had held talks with Iran in "recent days," Israel's public broadcaster KAN News reported on Friday morning.
"I have had talks with them, and I intend to hold talks," Trump was cited as saying.
"I told the Iranians two things - no nukes, and stop killing the protesters. They will have to do something," he affirmed.
Citi expects limited US-Israel action on Iran to avoid escalation
Citi expects the US and Israel to take limited actions against Iran in the near term that avoid an escalatory response to push the country into a deal over its nuclear program, the bank said in a note on Thursday.
The smaller steps likely include limited US military actions and oil tanker seizures that are expected to keep the risk premium in oil markets elevated, especially over concerns Iran would shut the key Strait of Hormuz transit point, the bank said.
Oil prices climbed 3% to a five-month high on Thursday on rising concerns that global supplies could be disrupted if the US attacks Iran, one of OPEC's biggest crude producers.
US President Donald Trump is weighing options against Iran that include targeted strikes on security forces and leaders to inspire protesters, multiple sources said, even as Israeli and Arab officials said air power alone would not topple the clerical rulers.
The bank's base case for limited actions, which it gives a 70% probability of occurring, "reflects US sensitivity to higher energy prices" because of domestic political considerations, "President Trump's preference to avoid war and the likelihood that ongoing domestic pressures within Iran provide potential for changes that could lead to a deal," it said.
Citi does not expect a large response from Iran "as it does not want war either, as it is facing a faltering economy and civil unrest."
The bank sees a 30% chance of heightened but limited conflict and internal political instability in Iran causing intermittent disruptions to oil production and exports, and a 10% risk of substantial regional supply losses driven by civil unrest with US and Israel.
In its base case, Citi expects a US–Iran deal and a de-escalation at some point in 2026, which would reduce the Iran-related geopolitical risk premium, currently at $7–10 a barrel with Brent near $70.
On Thursday, Brent futures settled at $70.71 a barrel.
This is a developing report.