Iran has warned it will respond to any US attack “like never before” after President Donald Trump said time was running out for Tehran to negotiate over its nuclear program and avoid possible US military action.
“IRAN IS READY FOR DIALOGUE BASED ON MUTUAL RESPECT AND INTERESTS – BUT IF PUSHED, IT WILL DEFEND AND RESPOND LIKE NEVER BEFORE!” Iran’s mission to the United Nations said in a post on X, where it shared a screenshot of Trump’s warning.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iranian forces were ready to respond decisively to any US military action, leaving the door open to a possible new deal on Tehran’s nuclear program.
“Our brave armed forces are ready – fingers on the trigger – to respond immediately and forcefully to ANY aggression against our beloved land, air and sea,” Araghchi wrote in a post on X.
Trump Says ‘Time Is Running Out’
Trump issued the warning in a post on Truth Social, calling on Iran to return to negotiations over its nuclear program.
“We hope Iran will quickly ‘come to the table’ and negotiate a fair and just deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties,” Trump wrote.
“Time is running out, it’s really important!”
He also warned Tehran against further confrontation, citing earlier US strikes.
“The next attack will be much worse! Don’t do it again,” Trump said.
Military pressure is growing in the region
The US president has not ruled out military action after weeks of deadly anti-government protests in Iran. A US naval strike group, which Trump has described as an “armada”, led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, is currently deployed in Middle Eastern waters.
Last June, the US carried out strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities during Israel’s 12-day war with Iran, sharply escalating regional tensions.
Signal Mode Vulnerability Rubio, Merz
As Trump sharpened his rhetoric, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Iran’s leadership was at its weakest point ever, citing economic collapse as a key driver of the unrest.
“They are threatened by their inability to deal with the fact that their economy is collapsing,” Rubio said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz went further and suggested that the Iranian leadership may not survive much longer.
“A regime that can only hold on to power through sheer violence and terror against its own population: its days are numbered,” Merz said, predicting it could be “a matter of weeks” before the government falls.
Iran rejects ‘diplomacy by threat’
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected Washington’s move, saying military pressure would not work.
“Conducting diplomacy through military threat cannot be effective or useful,” Araghchi said, adding that Tehran had not sought negotiations and had not been in recent contact with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
Iran’s armed forces chief of staff, Habibollah Sayyari, also warned Washington against any “miscalculation” and said the US would also “suffer damage” in the event of a conflict.
Regional pressure for de-escalation
Amid rising tensions, Iran reached out to US allies in the region. Following a phone call between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Iranian officials also spoke with leaders in Qatar and Egypt.
Qatar said it supported “all efforts aimed at de-escalation and reaching peaceful solutions”, while Egypt stressed the need to “work on de-escalation”. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned against a renewed conflict:
“It’s wrong to attack Iran. It’s wrong to start a war again.”
A deadly crackdown on protests
The latest escalation comes against the backdrop of a brutal crackdown on protests that broke out in late December and culminated on 8-9. January. The US Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that at least 6,221 people have been killed so far, including thousands of protesters and more than 100 minors.
HRANA said more than 42,000 people had been arrested and warned that security forces were now searching hospitals for injured protesters, highlighting what it called “a new dimension to the ongoing security crackdown”.
Iran has also carried out executions linked to the unrest, including a man convicted of spying for Israel’s Mossad, the judiciary says.
Read also | ‘NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS’: Trump warns Iran ‘time is running out’ on fair deal
