Trump Says ‘Massive Armada’ Headed to Iran, Urges Nuclear Deal

Iran said it was open to dialogue, but warned that it would retaliate strongly if attacked.

President Donald Trump departs for Florida from the White House on Jan. 16, 2026.Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Jan. 28 that a “massive armada” is heading to Iran and urged Tehran to come to the table to make a deal on nuclear weapons.

A U.S. military fleet headed by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is moving toward Iran, Trump said in a Truth Social post, noting that “it is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose.”

“Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal - NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS - one that is good for all parties,“ Trump wrote. ”Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!”

U.S. Central Command confirmed in a Jan. 26 post on X that the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group is “currently deployed to the Middle East to promote regional security and stability.”

According to Trump, the fleet is ready to “fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary.”

The president also made a reference to the U.S. bombing of three of Iran’s nuclear sites in June 2025.

“As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL!“ Trump wrote. ”They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again.”

In response to Trump’s post, the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations said on Jan. 28 that Tehran “stands ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests.”

The message, shared on X, also said that if pushed, Iran would defend itself and “RESPOND LIKE NEVER BEFORE!”

“Last time the U.S. blundered into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it squandered over $7 trillion and lost more than 7,000 American lives,” the post reads.

Following the June 2025 airstrikes on its key nuclear infrastructure, Iran formally suspended its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, which had on June 12, 2025, declared Iran noncompliant and in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The nuclear watchdog said at the time that Iran failed to cooperate and give credible explanations for man-made uranium traces found at several undeclared sites.

Iran has long maintained that its nuclear activities are strictly civilian.

Statements on US–Iran Talks

In December 2025, Trump said he may support more strikes on Iran if the country makes advances in its nuclear or long-range weapons program.

Trump said in an interview with Axios published on Jan. 26 that Tehran had contacted his administration multiple times to seek talks.

However, according to local media reports, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Tehran on Jan. 28 that there has been no contact in recent days with U.S. regional envoy Steve Witkoff.

He said that Iran has not submitted any request for negotiations and that “negotiations cannot work under threats.”

“Talks must take place in conditions where threats and excessive demands are set aside,” Araghchi said, according to Iranian state media outlet Press TV.

Responding to questions about a potential meeting with International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi, Araghchi stated that no such meeting is currently planned.

Araghchi’s remarks follow a statement that he made in a Jan. 20 op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, in which he wrote that Tehran will fire “back with everything” it has if it comes under “renewed attack.”

US and Allies Push Enforcement

Diplomatic pressure on Iran increased in September 2025, when the U.N. reinstated an arms embargo and other sanctions on the Iranian regime.

It included bans on arms imports and exports, restrictions on ballistic missile technology, travel bans, asset freezes, and provisions allowing the seizure of prohibited cargo linked to Iran.

European powers offered Iran a delay of up to six months before reinstating sanctions, giving negotiators time to pursue a long-term agreement—provided Tehran readmit U.N. nuclear inspectors, address concerns over its enriched uranium stockpile, and return to talks with the United States.

On Jan. 27, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the United States and dozens of partners were working to strengthen enforcement of the reimposed sanctions.

The United States and about 40 countries gathered last week in Prague for a symposium focused on implementing the restored U.N. Security Council resolutions.

“In view of the Iranian regime’s continued proliferation threat and the brutal crackdown on Iranian protestors, the United States and partners recognize the urgent need to promote universal implementation of the [U.N. Security Council resolutions] and associated restrictive measures on Iran’s proliferation activities,” Pigott said.

Iran Protests

Widespread protests broke out across Iran in late December 2025, initially sparked by rising living costs, high inflation, and the sharp drop in value of the national currency.

What started as anger over economic hardship has hardened into mass demonstrations against the ruling system itself, with calls for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic met by an increasingly lethal security response.

Trump has repeatedly warned the Iranian regime not to execute protesters, or else face the wrath of the U.S. military.

Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Jan. 28, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio estimated that the death toll from the protests is now in “the thousands.”

He described what he called the Iranian regime’s use of snipers against demonstrators as “horrifying.”

Rubio said the Iranian government was weaker than it had ever been. He said the core problem facing the leadership was an economic collapse that it could not easily fix.

“The reason why their economy’s in collapse is because they spend all their money and all their resources building weapons and sponsoring terrorist groups around the world instead of reinvesting it back into their society,” he said, noting that the resulting sanctions had isolated Iran’s economy and fueled public anger.

Rubio said protests might ebb under pressure but would likely return.

Addressing the protests in his op-ed on Jan. 20, Araghchi said the “violent phase of the unrest lasted less than 72 hours” and blamed armed demonstrators for the bloodshed.