Updates: Trump doubles down on Iran threats as US puts more sanctions

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To read our editor’s analysis on Trump’s policy towards Iran and the Middle East, go here.

On the diplomatic scramble ongoing to avert a potential war between the US and Iran, read our explainer here.

And you can read all our content on US-Iran tensions here.

We will be closing this live page soon. Here is a recap of the day’s major developments:

• President Trump says Iran “wants to make a deal”, but did not elaborate about the chances of securing one.
• The US Treasury Department has imposed new sanctions on seven Iranian nationals, including Iran’s interior minister, and one entity.
• Turkiye’s FM Hakan Fidan met his Iranian counterpart Araghchi in Istanbul and urged a resumption of nuclear talks between the US and Iran.
• Araghchi has said there are currently no meetings or planned contacts with US officials, stressing that conditions for talks have not yet been met.
• Iranian authorities say they have arrested an unidentified number of people responsible for destroying public property in recent antigovernment protests in southern Tehran.

Ali Shamkhani, a top security official and adviser to the supreme leader, has warned that Iran is ready to meet any aggression with a proportional response, including potentially striking Israel, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

In remarks carried by Tasnim, Shamkhani dismissed suggestions that the US’s growing military presence in the Gulf, including the Gulf of Oman, would give Washington an advantage in any confrontation.

He said Iran has “exposed the enemy’s plans” and is on high alert to “repel any threat”.

Turkiye believes it has the necessary communication channels open for both sides [in the US-Iran tensions].

Turkiye and Iran share a very large border. They have cultural ties, they have historical ties.

On the other hand, Turkiye is a NATO country that can openly communicate with European countries, Washington and even with Israel. When it comes to Israel, yes, the Gaza and Palestine issue is a red line for Turkish foreign policy. But Israel and Turkiye had for a long time enjoyed strong economic and military relations.

The other point is geography. As I said, Turkiye and Iran share a vast border, and there are three active border crossings. Every year, millions of Iranian tourists visit Turkiye.

There is also a trade relation between Iran and Turkiye, which is dependent on oil imports from other countries, including Iran.

That’s why any conflict related to Iran, when it comes to trade, security or energy, directly affects Turkiye and its borders.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, has accused the European Union of “supporting terrorism” by designating Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist” organisation.

“The IRGC is one of the strongest and most effective counterterrorism forces in the world,” he said.

“Only those who have sided with the terrorists themselves can deny the IRGC’s record in fighting (ISIL) ISIS terrorism,” he added. “Supporting terrorism will only bring regret to European countries.”

The EU made the designation on Thursday in response to Iran’s deadly crackdown on antigovernment protests in the country,  while announcing a new round of sanctions on Iranian officials, including the interior minister.

Here in Tehran, people are following the tensions with a lot of frustration and concern, fearing the possibility of a confrontation down the road.

People are also feeling economic pressure that affects their daily lives.

Here are the latest developments:

• Speaking to reporters at the White House, President Trump says Iran “wants to make a deal” but did not elaborate about the chances of securing one.
• He also said US warships heading towards Iran form a much larger “armada” than the fleet sent before the US attack on Venezuela earlier this month.
• The US Treasury Department has imposed new sanctions on seven Iranian nationals and one entity, including Iran’s interior minister.
• Russia’s President Putin has met Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in the Kremlin.
• UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has told his Iranian counterpart Pezeshkian that Abu Dhabi supports all efforts aimed at strengthening regional security and stability.

Diplomatic efforts are intensifying to avoid a military confrontation between the US and Iran, as Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi travels to Turkiye for high-level talks.

Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem explains how regional leaders are pushing to avert conflict.

Watch the video below:

The US president has been repeating for weeks that Iran needs to “make a deal”.

Today, Trump spoke about how the US seemed quite close to some sort of military strike on Iran a few weeks ago, only to pull back.

What is being reported here in the US is that Trump is continuing to weigh his options militarily and has not ruled out the possibility of US forces attacking sites inside Iran.

He is still considering all options and continuing his threat of some sort of military action … in the hope that this might bring Iran to a deal to limit its nuclear programme.

On Monday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, has been sent to the Middle East to “promote regional security and stability”.

The vessel, which departed its homeport of San Diego, California, in November and had been operating in the South China Sea until last week, is one of the US Navy’s largest warships.

While CENTCOM did not offer more details on why the ship had been deployed, its statement signals a large US naval deployment towards Iran at a time when tensions between Washington and Tehran have soared.

On Tuesday, the US Air Forces Central Command (AFCENT) also announced “multi-day readiness” military drills throughout its “areas of responsibility”, referring to 20-some nations in the Middle East, Asia and Africa that host US military bases.

In a statement, AFCENT said the drills would help to improve its capacity to deploy assets and personnel, strengthen its partnerships with host countries, and prepare for “flexible responses”.