Donald Trump said Iran is "talking to" the US and hinted at a possible deal to avoid military strikes. He told Fox News, "[Iran is] talking to us, and we'll see if we can do something, otherwise we'll see what happens ... We have a big fleet heading out there. They are negotiating." Trump also said US allies were not being told about strike plans for security reasons. He warned, "If I told them the plan, it would be almost as bad as telling you the plan – it could be worse, actually." The US has sent a naval battle group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier near Iran. This move followed Trump's threats to intervene after Iran's deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. Iran has warned it would respond with missile strikes on US bases, ships, and allies like Israel if attacked. Trump said he believes Iran prefers a deal over a war to discuss its nuclear and missile programs. Iran has agreed to talks if missiles and defense issues are off the table. Ali Larijani, Iran’s supreme national security council head, said, "Contrary to the hype of the contrived media war, structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing." Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said a wider conflict would harm both Iran and the US. He told Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, "The Islamic Republic of Iran has never sought, and in no way seeks, war and it is firmly convinced that a war would be in the interest of neither Iran, nor the United States, nor the region." Iran’s army chief Amir Hatami warned the US and Israel against attack, stating his forces are "at full defensive and military readiness". He added, "If the enemy makes a mistake, without a doubt it will endanger its own security, the security of the region, and the security of the Zionist regime." Iran denied that several recent incidents, including an explosion in Bandar Abbas, were acts of sabotage. US Central Command said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards would carry out a "two-day live-fire naval exercise" in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. They warned Iran against "unsafe and unprofessional behaviour near US forces." Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticized the US on X, saying, "Operating off our shores, the US military is now attempting to dictate how our Powerful Armed Forces should conduct target practice in their own turf." The US designated Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group in 2019; the European Union followed recently, angering Tehran. US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June escalated tensions. Protests erupted in Iran on December 28 over rising living costs, later turning into anti-government demonstrations with thousands killed according to different reports. On Saturday, Pezeshkian urged the government to listen to people’s grievances and “serve the people.”