WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that an additional "armada" of US military vessels is sailing toward Iran, expressing hope that Iran will agree to a deal.
"There's another beautiful armada floating beautifully toward Iran right now, so we'll see," Trump said at a rally in the midwestern US state of Iowa.
"I hope they make a deal," Trump added, "They should have made a deal the first time they'd have a country."
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One day earlier, USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group was deployed to the Middle East amid tensions over Iran's unrest, the US Central Command said on X.
It is not immediately clear if Trump is referring to the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group or another carrier strike group.
Pezeshkian: Iran ready for peace
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday voiced Iran's readiness to welcome any process leading to peace and conflict prevention "within the international law framework while fully safeguarding the rights of the country and its people."
He made the remarks in a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, during which both sides underscored the necessity of ensuring peace and security in West Asia, read a statement from the Iranian president's office.
Pezeshkian said US threats and actions against Iran are aimed at compromising regional security. He accused Washington of disrupting Iran's past diplomatic engagements with Europe, and characterized the US approach to dialogue as "we say and you do."
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He urged collective cooperation among Muslim countries to secure security, stability and development in the region.
For his part, the crown prince affirmed that Saudi Arabia rejects as "unacceptable" any aggression, threat, or escalation of tension against Iran, read the statement.
He expressed his country's readiness for cooperation with Iran and other regional states to ensure lasting peace and security.
Separately, Deputy Commander of the Navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Mohammad Akbarzadeh said Tuesday that warnings have been issued to Iran's neighbors against letting their airspace, territories or territorial waters be used for any attack on Iran.
According to a report by the semi-official Fars news agency, Akbarzadeh said that Iran is constantly receiving data from the Strait of Hormoz through sky and the sea's surface and subsurface, and that Iran decides "which vessel and warship under which flag is allowed to pass."
The developments came as the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group has reportedly arrived in the Middle East amid tensions in the region, and as Iran has warned of a "comprehensive and regret-inducing" response to any aggression.
Iran summons Italian ambassador over IRGC remarks
Teheran's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned Italy's ambassador to Teheran over "irresponsible" remarks by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani about Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
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Ambassador Paola Amadei was called in by Alireza Yousefi, director general for Western Europe at the ministry, a day after Tajani said on X that Italy would ask EU partners to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, accusing it of using violence during recent protests, according to Teheran.
Yousefi condemned Tajani's remarks, emphasizing the IRGC's legal status as part of Iran's armed forces and warning of the "destructive" consequences of such labeling. Amadei said she would relay Iran's protest to her government.
Protests over the sharp depreciation of the rial have swept Iranian cities since late December. Initially peaceful, the demonstrations escalated into clashes that caused casualties and damaged public property, including mosques, government buildings, and banks. Teheran has blamed the unrest on the United States and Israel.
