Iran’s top security official said Saturday that progress had been made towards negotiations with the United States, even as the Islamic Republic’s army chief warned Washington against launching military strikes.
US President Donald Trump confirmed the two sides were talking, while keeping the threat of an attack in the foreground.
Washington has deployed warships led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier off Iran’s shores, after Trump threatened to intervene in the wake of Tehran’s deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.
“Contrary to the hype of the contrived media war, structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing,” said Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
He was speaking a day after the Kremlin said he held talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the terms
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday a broader conflict would hurt both Iran and the United States.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has never sought, and in no way seeks, war and it is firmly convinced that a war would be in the interest of neither Iran, nor the United States, nor the region,” he said in a call with Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, according to the Iranian presidency.
In this handout picture provided by Iranian presidency, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian (L), accompanied by Hasan Khomeni (R), the grandson of late supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and cabinet members, visit of the tomb of Khomeini, in Tehran on January 31, 2026, ahead of the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. (Photo by Handout / Iranian Presidency / AFP)
Later Saturday, Trump confirmed that there was a dialogue between Washington and Tehran.
“(Iran is) talking to us, and we’ll see if we can do something, otherwise we’ll see what happens…We have a big fleet heading out there,” he told Fox News.
“They are negotiating,” he added.
Qatar’s foreign ministry said its premier, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as foreign minister, held talks in Tehran with Larijani on Saturday to try to “de-escalate tensions in the region.”
Fears of conflict
The arrival of the US flotilla has raised fears of a direct confrontation with Iran, which has warned it would respond with missile strikes on US bases, ships and allies — notably Israel — in the event of an attack.
Trump has said he believes Iran will make a deal over its nuclear and missile programs rather than face American military action.
Tehran has said it is ready for nuclear talks if its missiles and defense capabilities are not on the agenda.
Iranian army chief Amir Hatami has warned the US and Israel against any attack, saying his forces were “at full defensive and military readiness.”
“If the enemy makes a mistake, without a doubt it will endanger its own security, the security of the region, and the security of the Zionist regime,” Hatami said, official news agency IRNA reported.
Iran’s nuclear technology and expertise “cannot be eliminated,” he added.
This photo released on January 7, 2026, by the Iranian Army media office shows Iran’s army chief Amir Hatami speaking to military academy students in Tehran. (Handout / Iranian Army Media Office / AFP)
With tensions heightened, Iranian authorities rushed to deny that several incidents on Saturday were linked to any attack or sabotage.
They included an explosion in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas that local firefighters said was caused by a gas leak.
Naval exercise
On Friday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) would conduct “a two-day live-fire naval exercise” in the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit hub for global energy supplies.
CENTCOM warned the IRGC against “any unsafe and unprofessional behaviour near US forces,” drawing a sharp response from Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
“The US military is now attempting to dictate how our Powerful Armed Forces should conduct target practice in their own turf,” he wrote on X.
The United States designated the IRGC a terrorist organization in 2019, a move the European Union followed on Thursday, prompting angry reactions from Tehran.
The US carried out strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites in June when it briefly joined Israel’s 12-day war against its regional foe.
Israeli attacks also hit military sites across the country and killed senior officers and top nuclear scientists.
Nationwide protests against the rising cost of living erupted on December 28, before turning into a broader anti-government movement that peaked on January 8 and 9 in what authorities called “riots” blamed on the US and Israel.
‘Serve the people’
The official death toll from the authorities stands at 3,117.
However, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it has confirmed 6,563 deaths, including 6,170 protesters and 124 children.
On Saturday, Pezeshkian urged his government to heed public grievances and “serve the people.”
An Iranian man waits for a minibus after arriving in Turkey through the Razi-Kapiköy border crossing, north-eastern Turkey on January 31, 2026. (Ozan Kose/AFP)
Some Iranians at the Kapikoy border point separating Iran and Turkey, where a little over 100 people crossed on Saturday, said they wanted to be free of the clerical leaders in Tehran.
“They were shooting us in the back. We were even targeted through our windows,” said Shabnan, using a pseudonym. “Everyone has lost loved ones, friends, neighbours, acquaintances.”
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
You appreciate our journalism
You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, in a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this