Donald Trump’s next move on Iran remains unclear, with the US president expressing hope for a deal while leaving military options on the table.
Hours after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of a “regional war” in the Middle East if provoked by the US, Trump said he still hoped for a deal but did not rule out military strikes against Tehran.
Asked about Iran’s warning, Trump told reporters on Sunday: “Of course (Khamenei) will say that.”
“We hope to come to an agreement. If we don’t come to an agreement, then we will find out whether he was right or not,” the US president said, according to AFP.
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Trump’s comments come amid rising tensions and a significant military build-up as the US sent the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and a fleet of warships to the Persian Gulf, where the plane is within striking distance of Iran.
The US president has repeatedly threatened to intervene in Iran in support of the country’s protesters facing a brutal crackdown and has also called on Tehran to abandon its nuclear ambitions after carrying out strikes against the country’s nuclear facilities in June 2025.
US and Israeli generals are acting amid tensions in the Middle East
Meanwhile, with tensions rising in the region, US and Israeli generals held talks at the Pentagon over the weekend.
According to a Reuters report, US General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Eyal Zamir, the chief of staff of the Israeli armed forces, met at the Pentagon on Friday, although the purpose of the meeting remains unclear.
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On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz met with Zamir and confirmed that talks had taken place in Washington, with the minister’s office saying that Tel Aviv had reviewed the situation in the region and assessed the “operational readiness of the Israeli military for any possible scenario.”
Khamenei’s threat of “regional war”.
The development comes after Khamenei warned on Sunday of US aggression, saying an attack against Tehran would spark a war in the region.
“The Americans should know that if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war,” Khamenei said, telling Iranians they “shouldn’t be afraid” of Trump’s rhetoric.
“We are not instigators and we are not trying to attack any country. But the Iranian nation will deal a heavy blow to anyone who attacks or harasses it,” Iran’s supreme leader said, according to the Associated Press.
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Khamenei also described nationwide protests across the country as a “coup”, which he claimed had been “suppressed”.
“The recent uprising was akin to a coup. Of course, the coup was suppressed,” Khamenei claimed, adding: “Their (demonstrators’) aim was to destroy the sensitive and effective centers involved in running the country, and for that reason they attacked the police, government centers, (Revolutionary Guard) facilities, banks and mosques – and burned copies of the country’s centers that ran the Koran.
Why are Iranians protesting?
In late December 2025, protests erupted across Iran as citizens took to the streets to demonstrate against the country’s currency collapse and ongoing economic woes.
But the crackdown on protesters has been brutal, with official Iranian government figures putting the death toll at over 3,000. But human rights organizations say the number is significantly higher, at over 5,000, while Iranian health officials told TIME the death toll could be as high as 30,000.