By MATTHEW LEE, FARNOUSH AMIRI and MICHELLE L. PRICE

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. allies and partners in the Middle East again are urging restraint from both the United States and Iran as the Trump administration warns of a possible strike and builds up its military presence in the region, according to an Arab diplomat familiar with the matter.

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Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Oman and Qatar have all been in touch with leaders in Washington and Tehran to make the case that an escalation by either or both sides would cause massive destabilization throughout the region and affect energy markets, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic discussions.

Arab and Muslim states in the region fear that any type of U.S. attack on Iran would prompt a response from Tehran that would, in the immediate term, likely be directed at them or American interests in their countries that could cause collateral damage, the official said.

Saudi Arabia’s defense minister is in Washington for high-level talks with the Trump administration and is also expected to deliver that message, the official added. Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman said on social media Friday that he discussed ”efforts to advance regional and global peace and stability” with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The words of caution come as President Donald Trump has shifted his rationale for possible U.S. military action against Iran in recent days from a response to the deadly crackdown on nationwide protests to a deterrent of the country’s nuclear program. That is even as he insists Iranian nuclear sites were “obliterated” in U.S. strikes in June.

Trump says he wants to make a deal

Trump on Friday said he hoped to make a deal with Iran but told reporters: “If we don’t make a deal, we’ll see what happens.”

He was cryptic when asked if he had given Iran a deadline, saying, “Only they know for sure.” He affirmed that he had communicated his threats to the country’s officials directly but did not offer any details.

President Donald Trump speaks during an event in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump’s return to the nuclear issue should not necessarily be seen as a shift in tactics but rather part of a broader approach toward dealing with Iran and the threat the U.S. believes it poses to its people and the region, according to two administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the president’s thinking.

One of the officials said Trump had initially focused on the protests inside Iran as a way of both encouraging demonstrators who might at some point force a change in Iranian policies and warning Tehran of consequences for mistreating them.

Trump said Friday that Iran heeded his earlier earnings about holding off from executing protesters, which he said he appreciated, but he then acknowledged, “A lot of people are being killed.”

At the same time, Iran’s nuclear threat has remained the larger concern for both the U.S. and the region, particularly Israel. So, the official said it made sense to Trump to remind Iran’s leadership that the ultimate goal is to eliminate that threat.

“Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform this week. “Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!”

A senior administration official stressed that Trump “has all options at his disposal.” That official did not offer details about whether the White House had any indications that Iran was taking steps to rebuild its nuclear program.

Iran says it’s ready for talks but also ‘ready for war’

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday while meeting Turkish officials in Istanbul that his country is ready for dialogue to resolve tensions but that there are no concrete plans for talks with his U.S. counterparts.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, just as it is ready for negotiations, it is also ready for war,” he added.

This handout photograph from the U.S. Navy shows Aviation Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Michael Cordova directing an F/A-18F Super Hornet on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Indian Ocean on Jan. 23, 2026. (Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Daniel Kimmelman/U.S. Navy via AP)

Ankara has been working to reduce the tensions, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offering during a telephone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier Friday to act as a “facilitator” between Iran and the U.S., according to his office.

Earlier in the month, the Republican president backed down from ordering any strikes after telling Iranians to keep protesting, to “take over” government institutions and that “help is on the way.” He said he had received assurances that Iran would not execute some 800 of protesters it had detained.

Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests began as demonstrations in late December against economic woes but broadened into a challenge to the Islamic Republic’s theocracy. Activists say the crackdown has killed at least 6,540 people.

Trump, meanwhile, referenced a “massive armada” of U.S. warships in the region. The U.S. military has bolstered its presence with the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers, which brought thousands of additional service members and joined other destroyers and ships in the Middle East.

The Arab official said the region’s message to the U.S. is that it should proceed with extreme caution, mindful of the havoc that could ensue. The message to Iran, meanwhile, is that if the U.S. does strike, it should carefully calibrate how it responds and not take action that would affect its neighbors, the official said.

U.S. assets in Qatar, for instance, were the target of Iranian retaliation after Trump ordered airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities last year.

The official added that ideally nothing would come to pass other than a period of extreme anxiety but stressed that the situation was unpredictable and that no one other than Trump knows if an attack will be coming.

Amiri reported from New York. Associated Press writer Mehmet Guzel in Istanbul contributed to this report.

A protest concert and a rally against the immigration crackdown in Minnesota drew crowds braving single digit temperatures to downtown Minneapolis Friday.

The First Avenue protest concert kicked off at noon with fans gathered to see Tom Morello and a special guest, who turned out to be Bruce Springsteen. The show was scheduled to wrap up by 2 p.m. in time for a “day of action” protest march through downtown. Last Friday, tens of thousands turned for a rally across downtown and images of massive crowds drew global attention.

An hour before the concert, only a few protesters were on the street corner outside First Avenue, but they stood out. One wore a white bunny costume, with the sign “Some Bunny Hates ICE.” Another was in a green frog costume and held a sign with Neil Young lyrics on one side and words from Morello’s Rage Against the Machine on the other.

Dozens of fans braved below-zero windchills to see if extra tickets to the sold-out show would became available. One woman held up in fingerless glovers a purple Post-It note saying “one ticket.” One man had a message written on the medical mask he wore: “I need one. Can I be your guest?”

Extra tickets

Ryan Johnson from Mound arrived a half hour before the show with additional tickets and brought two older ladies, including one big Springsteen fan who was waiting in the cold since before 8 a.m. That woman, who didn’t want to be identified, said she came downtown after ensuring kids in her neighborhood weren’t bothered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on their way to school Friday morning.

Johnson heard how long she had been waiting outside First Ave. and said, “We need to get you out of the cold.”

Dozens of music fans waited for the small chance to get inside went from shivering to whooping when a few of them got rewarded. They cheered as if they had just won a prize on a TV game show.

One man in a Minnesota United jacket wasn’t able to bring his kids, so he gave extra tickets to some men in line, including one who said he drove up from Iowa City, Iowa, on the off chance he could get to the show.

“Wooo!” the Iowa man shouted as he strode inside the venue. “(Expletive) ICE!”

‘It’s just not right’

Tom Albers of St. Paul planned to attend the march after the concert.

“I just can’t believe that the government is behaving like they are,” Albers said. “It just flies in face of everything I thought this country was about. It’s just wrong. I can’t justify it in my brain. I’ve never done anything like this before. I just can’t sit still. It’s just not right.”

The most-upsetting thing to Albers is the federal government’s narrative. For instance, their description of Alex Pretti’s fatal shooting in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 did not align with actions seen in the witness videos.

“I can’t believe they lie about what is taking place,” Albers said. “That is the biggest offense to me. I can’t stomach what they are doing, but I really can’t stomach the boldface lies they are telling and want people to believe that is happening.”

Albers said he and his wife Jean have been delivering food for people in need. He said they have a Latino housekeeper who is documented, but won’t come to work. Albers understands her situation and is continuing to pay her.

“I think people are just afraid that their neighbors don’t look like them,” Albers said. “That is really upsetting. I think that is what Minnesota recognizes. I’ve heard a lot of talk about what makes Minnesota different and why we are reacting like we are. We care about people and that is what this is about.”

Meanwhile, organizers have called for a “nationwide day of action” Friday and officials from nearly 2,000 organizations have said they plan to participate, including labor, community and student organizations, as well as hundreds of small businesses, organizers say. The rally in Minneapolis was to take place in front of the Hennepin County Government Center.

Organizers also called for a general strike Friday, similar to the one a week ago in which they urged “no school, no work, no shopping.”

By MICHAEL CASEY, Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard on Friday found debris and a body after launching a search for a fishing vessel in distress off Massachusetts.

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The search began after the Coast Guard said it received an emergency alert from the 72-foot fishing vessel Lily Jean early Friday located about 25 miles off Cape Ann. It is unclear how many people were on the vessel.

The Coast Guard said it tried unsuccessfully to contact the vessel and then launched a search that included an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, a small boat crew and the Coast Guard Cutter Thunder Bay.

They found a debris field and recovered one person from the water who was unresponsive. They also found an empty life raft.

At the time of the emergency alert, the National Weather Service said wind speeds out at sea were around 27 mph (24 knots) with waves around four feet high. It was 12 degrees with water temperatures about 39 degrees.

Gloucester Council President Tony Gross, a retired fisherman, called it a “huge tragedy for this community.”

“The families are just devastated at this point,” Gross said. “They are half full of hope and half full of dread, I would imagine.”

Gross described conditions on the water as “fishable” but that it wouldn’t take much for ice to build up on the vessel.

“That is what people are thinking right now, that there was ice buildup and that made the boat unstable,” he said.

“Monitor Point is a win for everyone: the MTA gets a new facility, the community gains open space and housing, and the city moves forward with its promise to build more affordable homes.”

A rendering of the Monitor Point development proposed for the Greenpoint waterfront. (FXCollaborative Architects)

You don’t have to live long in Williamsburg or Greenpoint to know New York is becoming too expensive for working families. Rents are out of control, and far too many of our neighbors are being priced out of the communities they’ve called home for generations.

As president of the Cooper Park Residents Council, I see every day how the housing crisis affects seniors, parents, and young people who are just trying to stay in the city they love. That’s why I’m supporting the Monitor Point project. We need more deeply affordable housing, and we need it now.

My family and I have called Williamsburg home for decades. This is where I was raised, and it’s where I chose to raise my family. I’ve fought for years to make sure public housing residents have heat in the winter, safe homes, and a voice in what happens in our neighborhoods. But as rents rise and affordable homes disappear, too many longtime New Yorkers are being left behind. Monitor Point offers a real opportunity to change that.

The proposal would bring 1,150 new homes to Greenpoint, with 40 percent permanently affordable, including units affordable to families earning 40 to 60 percent of the area median income. Those are the rent levels working people, teachers, home health aides, transit workers, and seniors on fixed incomes can actually afford.

Just as important, Monitor Point would create hundreds of good jobs during construction and afterward. It would restore and connect waterfront park space, opening up new access for local residents. The developer is also covering the cost to relocate and modernize an outdated MTA facility, freeing up public land for public good.

The redevelopment provides affordable housing designed for accessibility, creating an inclusive, accessible environment for residents and visitors of all ages and abilities. This ensures that families like mine, with members who use wheelchairs, can fully enjoy Monitor Point’s new amenities.

This project represents what we’ve been asking for: development that benefits the community, protects our environment, and invests in affordability. It will include $15 million in environmental remediation and shoreline stabilization, making the waterfront safer and more resilient.

Monitor Point is a win for everyone: the MTA gets a new facility, the community gains open space and housing, and the city moves forward with its promise to build more affordable homes.

Public land should serve the public good. If we want a fairer, more livable city, we need to support projects like this one. 

Debra Benders is the residents council president at NYCHA’s Cooper Park Houses.

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