US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump predicted on Friday that Iran would seek to negotiate a deal rather than face American military action, despite Tehran warning that its arsenal of missiles would never be up for discussion.

“I can say this, they do want to make a deal,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Asked if he had given Iran a deadline to enter talks on its nuclear and missile programs, Trump said “yeah, I have,” but refused to say what it was.

“We have a large armada, flotilla, call it whatever you want, heading toward Iran right now,” Trump said, referring to a US naval carrier group in waters off Iran.

“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.”

Trump cited what he said was Iran’s decision to halt the executions of protesters – after a crackdown in which rights groups say more than 6,000 people were killed – as evidence to show Tehran was ready to negotiate.

Major arms deals

Meanwhile the US approved a multibillion-dollar weapons sales to both Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The State Department said it green-lighted a $3.8bn (€3.2bn) sale of 30 Apache attack helicopters to Israel, which has agreed to a fragile ceasefire in Gaza.

“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” the State Department said in a statement.

“This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives,” it said.

Also in the package was a $1.8bn (€1.5bn) sale of joint light tactical vehicles.

The State Department also approved a $9bn (€6.7bn) sale to Saudi Arabia for 730 Patriot missiles, which are used to defend against incoming attacks.

‘Doing the right thing’ 

Washington’s allies in the region are concerned that any US strike on Iran could cause instability and economic chaos.

One senior Gulf official in touch with the Trump administration said that the United States was closely guarded on what it has planned.

“We hope that whatever happens, it is going to lead to stability. That outcome could be reached by the Iranians doing the right thing, and we hope that happens,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, the head of Iran’s top security body – secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani – met Tehran’s ally Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

No details of their talks emerged, but Moscow has offered to mediate between Washington and Tehran.

Iran’s top diplomat said Friday that his country’s missile and defense capabilities would “never” be on the negotiating table.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was “ready to begin negotiations if they take place on an equal footing.”

But, he emphasized, “Iran’s defensive and missile capabilities will never be subject to negotiation,” adding there were no plans to meet with US officials on resuming talks.

US news site Axios reported this week that Washington officials say any deal would have to include a cap on Iran’s arsenal of long-range missiles, the removal of enriched uranium from the country and a ban on independent enrichment.

Serhan Afacan, director of IRAM, the Ankara-based Centre for Iranian Studies, told AFP that trying to link a nuclear deal with other issues would likely “be impossible.”

“For now, the ballistic missile program remains a red line, as it sits at the core of Iran’s defense architecture,” he said.

‘Reducing’ tensions

Iran has warned that it would respond instantly with missile strikes against US bases, ships and allies, notably Israel.

“We are not limiting the geography of confrontation to the sea alone and have prepared ourselves for broader and more advanced scenarios,” the head of Iran’s Defence Council, Ali Shamkhani, said Friday, according to the Tasnim news agency.

Speaking at a joint news conference in Istanbul with Araghchi, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Israel was pushing for the United States to attack Iran, and urged Washington to “not allow this to happen.”

Iran has blamed the United States and Israel for the protests that erupted in late December over economic grievances and peaked on 8 and 9 January, accusing the two countries of fueling a “terrorist operation” that turned peaceful demonstrations into “riots.”

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it has confirmed 6,563 people killed in the demonstrations, including 6,170 protesters and 124 children, as internet restrictions imposed on 8 January continue to hinder access to information inside the country.

But rights groups warn the toll is likely far higher, with estimates in the tens of thousands.

Iranian authorities give a toll of more than 3,000 deaths in the protests, but say the majority were members of security forces or bystanders killed by “rioters.”