Donald Trump sets conditions for Iran as US escalates pressure in Gulf

US President Donald Trump has said he has delivered two clear demands to Iran to avoid potential military action, as Washington increases its military presence in the Persian Gulf, Azernews reports via BBC.

“Number one, no nuclear. And number two, stop killing protesters,” Trump said, claiming Iranian authorities were killing demonstrators “by the thousands.” He added that the United States has deployed “very big, very powerful ships” toward Iran, warning that while he hopes force will not be used, the option remains on the table.

Trump’s remarks come amid weeks of intensified pressure on Tehran to return to negotiations over its nuclear programme. Earlier this week, he wrote on Truth Social that a “massive armada” was heading toward Iran and was “ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfil its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded sharply, saying Iranian armed forces are prepared “with their fingers on the trigger” to “immediately and powerfully respond” to any aggression. He reiterated that Iran supports a “fair and equitable nuclear deal” that guarantees access to peaceful nuclear technology while rejecting nuclear weapons altogether.

“Iran has NEVER sought to acquire such weapons,” Araghchi said, stressing that nuclear arms have “no place” in Iran’s security doctrine.

Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stated that no direct negotiations with the US are currently underway, despite ongoing message exchanges between the two sides.

The tensions unfold against the backdrop of widespread protests across Iran, which began in late December following a sharp depreciation of the national currency and quickly escalated into a broader political crisis. While Trump initially pledged support for Iranian protesters, he later said executions had reportedly stopped.

According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana), at least 6,479 people have been killed since the unrest began, including protesters, children and government-affiliated individuals, with thousands more deaths under investigation. Iranian authorities dispute these figures, saying most of the dead were security personnel or civilians attacked by what they describe as “rioters.”

In response to the crackdown, the European Union has added Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to its terrorist list and imposed new sanctions on Iranian entities and individuals, further tightening international pressure on Tehran.