Iran on Wednesday rejected any prospect of talks with the United States as long as Washington continues to threaten military action, after U.S. President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric and announced the deployment of additional U.S. naval forces to the Middle East. 

"There can be no negotiations in an atmosphere of threats," Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. "Conducting diplomacy through military pressure is neither effective nor useful. If they want negotiations, they must abandon threats, excessive demands, and illogical issues."

In a post on X, Araghchi added that Iran welcomes a new deal on its nuclear program but would respond forcefully to any U.S. military operation.

"Our brave Armed Forces are prepared – with their fingers on the trigger," the Iranian diplomat said.

Trump, meanwhile, urged Tehran to return to negotiations over its nuclear program, warning that a "massive armada" was moving toward the region.

"A massive armada is heading to Iran," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding that the force would be larger than one previously deployed near Venezuela and would be ready to act if necessary.

"Hopefully Iran will quickly come to the table and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS," he added. "Time is running out." Trump warned that any future U.S. strike would be "far worse" than previous military actions if no agreement is reached.

The United States has already dispatched the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and accompanying guided-missile destroyers to the region. The U.S. Central Command said Monday that the carrier-led strike group had taken up position in Middle Eastern waters, without disclosing its exact location.

The heightened military posture comes roughly a month after protests erupted across Iran, which Tehran has accused the United States and Israel of fomenting. Since then, Trump has sent mixed signals, alternately calling for negotiations while refusing to rule out military intervention.

Tehran to build deterrence

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran is determined to create deterrence against U.S. military buildup and threats in West Asia, at a media briefing with foreign media representatives, including China Media Group (CMG), on Wednesday.

"If they take a limited military action, Iran will give an appropriate response, not a proportionate one, to dissuade them from repeating their attacks," he said.

Gharibabadi warned that any new military action would not be easy for the United States and Israel, noting they are aware of potential losses. He stressed that U.S. military pressure will not force Iran to acquiesce, likening such a scenario to "Iran's surrender."

Regarding possible negotiations, Gharibabadi said Iran does not consider regional states hostile. He clarified that if attacked from a location within a regional country, Iran would target that specific point, not the entire nation, citing Iran's strike on the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar after the United States bombed Iranian nuclear facilities in June last year as an example.

Gharibabadi confirmed that communication channels with the United States exist indirectly, but denied any ongoing talks.

Iran is prepared for both diplomacy and conflict, but prioritizes readiness for defense, he said, adding that Iran's "main priority is to be '200 percent' ready to defend itself."

He noted that Iran's missiles cannot reach the United States or Europe, but said U.S. military bases are located around Iran. "It is the United States that has always been a threat to Iran," he said.

According to Iranian media reports, the U.S. has presented Iran with four specific conditions: a complete and total cessation of all Iranian nuclear activities, the transfer of all enriched uranium stockpiles out of Iran, strict limitations on the range of Iran's missile systems, and an end to all support for pro-Iranian armed forces within the region.

Iran rallies regional support

Iran has also sought to rally regional opposition to any U.S. strike. Officials contacted several Arab states this week, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia and the UAE said they would not allow their airspace to be used for an attack on Iran.

Türkiye, a NATO member that shares a long border with Iran, urged diplomacy. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that Washington should restart nuclear talks with Tehran.

"It's wrong to attack Iran. It's wrong to start another war," Fidan said. He added that Iran was ready to resume negotiations on its nuclear program and called on the United States to address disputes step by step, beginning with the nuclear issue. 

Analyst points to U.S. psychological warfare

The U.S. military deployments in the Middle East serve as a form of continuous military intimidation and psychological warfare against Iran, an Iranian political analyst told CMG.

The analyst suggests that the Trump administration intends to use this to push Iran into negotiations, and a final decision on whether to launch a military strike would likely only be made when the U.S. is certain that Iran has no intention of backing down.

The analyst notes that the U.S. will conduct a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of a potential conflict since starting a war is easy, while ending one is extremely difficult.

The U.S. preference would be to seek a quick and easy victory rather than becoming trapped in an inescapable regional quagmire, according to the analyst.