Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Saturday that if U.S. President Donald Trump “seeks escalation” in the weeklong conflict between the two countries, “it is precisely what our Powerful Armed Forces have long been prepared for, and what he will get.”
In a statement posted to X, Araghchi said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had “expressed openness to de-escalation” in the Middle East on the condition that the United States not attack Iranians from neighboring countries. However, that feeling “was almost immediately killed by President Trump’s misinterpretation of our capabilities, determination and intent.”
“Responsibility for any intensification of Iran’s exercise of self-defense will lie squarely with the U.S. Administration,” Araghchi said.
Araghchi’s statement comes hours after Trump vowed in a Truth Social post that “Iran will be hit very hard” on Saturday, one week after the launch of Operation Epic Fury.
“Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time,” Trump posted.
In his statement, Aragachi ripped the U.S. for what he called a “week-long misadventure” that is “destined to fail.” He said ordinary Americans would see the costs of the war at the pump and that the electorate voted in 2024 “to end involvement in costly quagmires in the Middle East.”
IRAN PROMISES NOT TO ATTACK MIDDLE EAST NEIGHBORS BUT STILL FACES ‘COMPLETE DESTRUCTION,’ TRUMP SAYS
Aragachi also accused Trump of doing Benjamin Netanyahu’s bidding, claiming that the Israeli prime minister “finally managed to dupe” the president “into fighting Israel’s wars.”
Since the war began, U.S. forces have struck over 3,000 targets, according to U.S. Central Command, and Iran is without a supreme leader after the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Six American service members have been killed, and their remains arrived Saturday at Dover Air Force Base for a dignified transfer, attended by Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and War Secretary Pete Hegseth.