PARIS, Jan 30: U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he hoped to avoid military action against Iran, which has warned it would strike American bases and aircraft carriers in response to any attack.
Trump said he was in communication with Tehran and left open the possibility of avoiding a military operation, despite earlier warning that “time is running out” for Iran as the United States deploys a large naval fleet to the region.
Asked whether he would hold talks with Iran, Trump told reporters, “I have had and I am planning on it.”
“We have a group headed out to a place called Iran, and hopefully we won’t have to use it,” the U.S. president said while speaking to the media at the premiere of a documentary about his wife, Melania.
As tensions escalated between Brussels and Washington and Iran issued sharp warnings this week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for renewed nuclear negotiations to “avoid a crisis that could have devastating consequences in the region.”
An Iranian military spokesman warned that Tehran’s response to any U.S. action would be decisive and immediate, unlike last June when American aircraft and missiles briefly joined Israel’s short air campaign against Iran.
Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia said U.S. aircraft carriers have “serious vulnerabilities” and that American bases across the Gulf region are “within range of our medium-range missiles.”
“If such a miscalculation is made by the Americans, it will certainly not unfold the way Trump imagines — a quick operation followed by a tweet declaring it over,” he told state television.
A Gulf official from a country hosting U.S. military bases told AFP that fears of a U.S. strike on Iran were “very clear.”
“It would plunge the region into chaos, damage economies not only here but also in the U.S., and send oil and gas prices soaring,” the official said.
‘Protests crushed in blood’
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian held a phone call to discuss efforts to de-escalate tensions and restore stability, Qatar News Agency reported.
Meanwhile, the European Union intensified pressure by designating Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a “terrorist organisation” following a deadly crackdown on recent protests.
“‘Terrorist’ is indeed how you describe a regime that crushes its own people’s protests in blood,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, welcoming the move.
Iran warned of consequences, with its military condemning the EU’s decision as “illogical, irresponsible and spite-driven,” accusing the bloc of acting under U.S. and Israeli influence.
Iranian officials have blamed the protest wave on foreign interference, while rights groups say thousands were killed by security forces, including the IRGC.
In Tehran, residents voiced despair.
“I think war is inevitable. I just hope whatever happens leads to something better,” said a 29-year-old waitress who asked to remain anonymous.
Another 29-year-old unemployed woman said, “We are at the lowest point in our lives.”
Trump had earlier threatened military action if protesters were killed during demonstrations that erupted in late December, but has since shifted focus to Iran’s nuclear programme, which Western powers believe aims to produce an atomic weapon.
On Wednesday, he reiterated that “time is running out” for Tehran, saying a U.S. naval strike group deployed to the Middle East was “ready, willing and able” to act.
Conflicting tolls
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said it has confirmed 6,479 deaths during the protests, though verification remains difficult due to internet restrictions.
Iranian authorities acknowledge more than 3,000 deaths but say most were security personnel or civilians killed by “rioters.”
In Tehran, large billboards have appeared reinforcing official messaging, including one depicting the destruction of a U.S. aircraft carrier. (Agencies)
