Trump’s massive armada’ faces Iran’s 1,000 drones as Turkey tries to avert a new war

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently proposed a video conference between Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian, his Iranian counterpart. To give you a quick recap, there have been no formal direct talks between Iran and the US for more than a decade.

On January 28, the US President asked Iran to make a deal on nuclear weapons. He also said the next attack would be far worse and has already sent an ‘armada’ towards the country, asking the regime to stop killing protestors and restart the nuclear programme.

Speaking at the Kennedy Centre, Trump said the US has “a lot of very big, powerful ships sailing to Iran right now, and it would be great if we didn’t have to use them”.

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said during a cabinet meeting that they are ready for any military instructions given by Trump.

“They have all the options to make a deal. They should not pursue nuclear capabilities. And we will be prepared to deliver whatever this president expects.”

However, Iran’s Army chief Maj Gen Amir Hatami has said since its 12-day war in June last year, the country has changed its tactics and built 1,000 sea and land-based drones. This, in combination with Iran’s large arsenal of ballistic missiles, may help the country in case of an attack by the US.

According to Reuters, Fidan may tell Araqchi that Iran’s security, peace and stability are of “great importance” to Turkey.

And while Russia has asked both sides to stick to diplomacy, Turkey seems to have taken the role of mediator, as an attack on Iran could spiral out into a region-wide conflict.

Earlier this month, the Tehran-based government had brutally cracked down on protesters, with thousands killed and arrested. Turkey, a NATO member that shares a large border with Iran, has clarified that it will oppose any foreign intervention and asked the US to talk about its issues with Iran “one by one.”