Iranian FM Araghchi warns of severe military retaliation if the US rejects a peace proposal, while President Trump claims military conflict is unlikely provided Tehran agrees to comprehensive diplomatic concessions on its nuclear programme.
Iran Issues Ultimatum to the United States
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has issued a fierce warning to the United States, telling the White House to either accept Tehran’s proposal to end hostilities on all fronts or face severe military retaliation that will “rain down hell.” Araghchi’s dual-track diplomatic ultimatum and combative rhetoric followed the conclusion of the US midterm elections, which he asserted had completely disrupted the pace of regional negotiations.
Taking to social media platform X on Sunday, the Iranian Foreign Minister declared that the ball is firmly in Washington’s court to decide between a negotiated de-escalation and catastrophic regional warfare. “American voters have made their choice. Time for the White House to make its own,” Araghchi posted.
Issuing a direct warning to the Trump administration, Araghchi added, “Our 2-day proposal stands: meet the requirements, including end to war on all fronts, and you will see results. Or choose war, and see our alert and battle-hardened Warriors rain down hell.”
Diplomatic Impasse Following Election
Soon after, speaking to reporters in the Iranian capital, Araghchi disclosed that diplomatic efforts to broker a cessation of hostilities have hit an impasse, directly linking the standstill to political volatility in Washington, according to Al Jazeera. “The main reason is the US election results, which have obviously come as a shock to everyone,” Araghchi was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera. “It will take some time for things to settle down and for the atmosphere to become conducive to the mediators resuming their visits. We have to wait,” Araghchi stated.
US Response and Military Positioning
Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump said on Sunday that it is “highly unlikely” he will order American forces back into conflict with Iran, provided tangible progress is achieved in negotiations surrounding Tehran’s nuclear programme and the reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, while revealing that the US has identified 38 Iranian bridges and key infrastructure for potential destruction, CNN reported.
During a 20-minute telephone interview with the CNN anchor, the US President repeated his assertion five times, indicating that further military escalation would remain off the table if Tehran agreed to comprehensive diplomatic concessions. “It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement,” Trump told CNN. “The answer is highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary. They’re a failing nation. It just came out, you saw this year, 301% inflation. Highly unlikely it will be necessary. I would if necessary, but we hit them really hard. I hit them so hard. You don’t know how hard I hit them.”
Trump asserted that devastating economic sanctions coupled with previous military strikes had severely degraded Tehran’s capabilities. “So it’s highly unlikely I’ll have to,” Trump continued. “They’re withering away financially. We’ve hit them militarily. We could finish them off.”
Trump further disclosed, “We have 38 bridges in our site that we can knock down in literally one hour. They’ll all be down,” according to CNN. Explaining his hesitation to obliterate logistical conduits, Trump added, “I don’t want to do that because essentially, it’ll take 10 years to rebuild them. I don’t like ripping down bridges. And the hardest thing to build is a bridge. It takes years, and I’m a good builder.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)