The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, has warned the US of strong retaliation if President Donald Trump makes good on his threats to attack Iran.
“Unlike the restraint Iran showed in June 2025, our powerful armed forces have no qualms about firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack,” Araghchi wrote in an opinion piece published by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Tuesday.
Ferocious Confrontation
Iran’s top diplomat added that this was “not a threat” but a “reality I feel I need to convey explicitly, because as a diplomat and a veteran, I abhor war.”
However, he warned that an “all-out confrontation will certainly be ferocious and drag on far, far longer than the fantasy timelines that Israel and its proxies are trying to peddle to the White House.”
“It will certainly engulf the wider region and have an impact on ordinary people around the globe. I will do anything in my power to prevent that scenario from materializing,” he noted.
US Threats
Iran is witnessing a wave of nationwide anti-government protests – the largest in three years – amid a rise in violence and a brutal crackdown on protesters that left at least 4,519 people killed, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Against this backdrop, Trump has repeatedly threatened intervention to protect Iranian demonstrators.
The top Iranian diplomat’s remarks came a day after Trump renewed his threats to Tehran, vowing to “wipe off” Iran if it attempts to carry out assassination threats against him.
“Anything ever happens, the whole country is going to get blown up. I would absolutely hit them so hard. But I have very firm instructions. Anything happens they’re going to wipe them off the face of this earth,” Trump said during an interview with NewsNation.
Military Movements
Furthermore, Araghchi’s comments coincide with the redeployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier group from Asia to the Middle East.
The US has also ramped up regional airpower following the major military operation that ousted Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, according to the Associated Press (AP).
The US bombed key Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025 during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel.
Peace over War
Araghchi stressed that Iran favors peace over war and is ready to negotiate a fair and balanced deal, but the Iranian officials “are unconvinced that the US shares that mindset,” he wrote.
“Iran’s message to President Trump is clear: The US has tried every conceivable hostile act against Iran, from sanctions and cyber assaults to outright military attack—and, most recently, it clearly fanned a major terrorist operation—all of which failed.
“It is time to think differently. Try respect, which will allow us to advance farther than one may believe,” he concluded.
