Washington/Tehran, Jan 30 (.) US President Donald Trump on Friday hinted that he had given Iran an ultimatum to make a deal with Washington, even as he claimed the US “armada” near Iran was bigger than the task force deployed to topple Venezuela’s leader.

“We have a large armada, flotilla, call it whatever you want, heading toward Iran right now, even larger than what we had in Venezuela,” the US President told reporters on Friday.

“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.”

He declined to say whether he planned a repeat of the military operation in Venezuela in which US forces captured the president, Nicolás Maduro.

“I don’t want to talk about anything having to do with what I’m doing militarily,” he said.

His comments came after Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was ready to negotiate with the US, but only if talks were not under duress and did not extend to Iran’s missile programme.

After meetings with Turkish diplomats, Araghchi said Iran was “ready to begin negotiations if they take place on an equal footing, based on mutual interests and mutual respect”.

He said there were no immediate plans to meet US officials, adding: “I want to state firmly that Iran’s defensive and missile capabilities will never be subject to negotiation.”

Araghchi said: “The Islamic Republic of Iran, just as it is ready for negotiations, is also ready for war.”

On Thursday, Trump had said he hoped to avoid military action, even as the US deployed another warship to the Middle East, joining the USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers.

Trump’s Friday comments come a day after he revealed he has spoken with the Islamic Republic and expressed hope he does not have to use military action against the country.

Speaking to reporters as he arrived with First Lady Melania Trump for the premiere of a new documentary about the First Lady, Trump was asked whether he has had any conversations with Iran in the last few days, and whether he is planning on having such conversations.

“I have had, and I am planning on it,” replied the President, adding, “We have a lot of very big, powerful ships sailing to Iran right now. It would be great if we didn’t have to use them.”

Asked what message he had shared with the Iranians, Trump said, “I told them two things: number one, no nuclear, and number two, stop killing protesters. They are killing them by the thousands. I stopped 837 hangings two weeks ago. They are going to have to do something.”

The US in recent weeks has been moving military assets to the Middle East, boosting available firepower and defensive capabilities in the region. It has also moved an American warship, USS Delbert D. Black, to Israel’s Eilat Port.

America’s regional allies, including Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, have been engaging in diplomatic efforts to prevent a military confrontation between Washington and Tehran.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Friday that the UK was working with allies to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, when asked whether he would support possible US strikes on Iran.

“The goal, or the aim, here is that Iran shouldn’t be able to develop nuclear weapons, and that is hugely important,” Starmer told BBC News.

Asked whether his comments suggested he could support any US strikes, he said: “I am saying we support the goal and we are talking to allies about how we get to that goal.”

He also criticized Iran’s treatment of protesters, saying the killing and repression of demonstrators was “grotesque” after an Iranian official confirmed at least 5,000 people had been killed in nationwide protests.

Reports from the Iranian opposition and some rights groups indicate the toll could be far higher.

. XC .