Trump says Iran is 'seriously talking' with US

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Iran was "seriously talking" with the United States.

Asked by reporters aboard Air Force One whether he had made a final decision on Iran, Trump said, "Certainly, I can't tell you that, but we do have very big, powerful ships heading in that direction."

"I hope they negotiate something that's acceptable," Trump said, adding, "We could make a negotiated deal that would be satisfactory, with no nuclear weapons, and they should do that, but I don't know if they will."

The president also told Fox News that the United States could not share its military plans with Gulf allies while negotiating with Iran.

"We can't tell them the plan. If I told them the plan, it would be almost as bad as telling you the plan -- it could be worse, actually," Trump said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday that Tehran has consistently pursued engagement and dialogue to resolve disputes and is not seeking war.

He said that Iran's approach is based on "dignity-based diplomacy," engagement within the framework of international law, mutual respect, and refraining from threats or coercion.

The United States has said a deal with Iran must include a ban on uranium enrichment, the removal of already-enriched uranium, a cap on long-range missiles, and a rollback of support for regional proxies -- all conditions Tehran has rejected.