The nuclear deadlock between Iran and US is still to be resolved

Tehran is ready to resume nuclear talks with Washington but discussions about its ballistic missile program — a key US demand — are off the table, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Aragachi has said.

His comments came as the US continued to move firepower into the region for a potential attack. President Donald Trump has sent what he calls an “armada” to the Middle East and the head of the Pentagon has said the US military is ready to carry out whatever plan of action Donald Trump chooses, should a deal not be reached with Iran.

Regional allies — including Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia — have sought to push the two sides into talks to head off potential conflict, but both countries appear to have dug into their respective positions.

Iranian army chief Amir Hatami on Saturday warned the United States and Israel against an attack, saying his country's forces were on high alert after Washington's heavy military deployments in the Gulf, reports Middle East Eye. 

"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," said Hatami, according to the official IRNA news agency. The warning came as the region prepared for a potential US strike on Iran, with the United States bolstering its military presence in the Middle East, including the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and other assets.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump said a "massive armada" was heading towards the Islamic Republic.

Trump warned that "time is running out" for the country, and referenced air strikes carried out against Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025.

The Trump administration has toyed with attacking Iran for nearly a month on the pretext of the brutal crackdown on demonstrators that has seen thousands killed by government security forces.

Middle East Eye reported on Saturday that Donald Trump was considering precision strikes on "high-value" Iranian officials and commanders it deemed responsible for the deaths of protesters during anti-government demonstrations earlier this month.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that US, Israeli and European leaders had exploited Iran's economic problems, incited unrest and provided people with the means to "tear the nation apart" in recent protests.

The two-week nationwide protests, which erupted in late December amid an economic crisis marked by soaring inflation and rising living costs, have subsided following a deadly crackdown by authorities.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that at least 6,563 people were killed during the unrest, including 6,170 protesters and 214 members of the security forces.