Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to U.S. President Donald Trump’s belligerent threat of Jan. 28, demanding that Iran “make a deal” or else, with a warning that Iran’s finger is on the trigger. “Our brave Armed Forces are prepared—with their fingers on the trigger—to immediately and powerfully respond to ANY aggression against our beloved land, air, and sea,” Araghchi wrote in a post on his X account on Wednesday afternoon, reported IRNA. “The valuable lessons learned from the 12-Day War have enabled us to respond even more strongly, rapidly, and profoundly,” he added.
“At the same time, Iran has always welcomed a mutually beneficial, fair and equitable NUCLEAR DEAL—on equal footing, and free from coercion, threats, and intimidation—which ensures Iran’s rights to PEACEFUL nuclear technology, and guarantees NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS,” he continued. “Such weapons have no place in our security calculations and we have NEVER sought to acquire them,” Araghchi further noted.
Earlier, Araghchi had rejected talks with the United States as long as bullying and dictates persist, saying diplomacy imposed through military threats cannot be effective or useful. Responding on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting to a question about the U.S. military build-up in the region alongside calls for talks, Araghchi said that, while threats and diplomacy have often gone hand-in-hand in international affairs, the United States must abandon threats, exaggerations, and what he described as irrational demands, if it genuinely seeks negotiations. According to another report in IRNA, he stressed that any talks must take place on an equal footing, based on mutual respect and mutual benefit, adding that it is not diplomacy if one side attempts to use force to achieve its objectives.
Araghchi also referred to his recent discussions with regional counterparts regarding U.S. military threats against Iran, saying that he remains in contact with most neighboring countries, including the U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia, which have announced that they will not allow the use of their airspace for possible attacks on Iran.
Ali Shamkhani, a top advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, warned on Jan. 28 that if the U.S. attacks Iran, Iran’s response will include strikes on Israel. “The limited strike is an illusion,” Ali Shamkhani reportedly posted in Hebrew on X. “Any military activity from America, from any source and at any level, will be considered the beginning of a war, and the response will be immediate, comprehensive and without precedent, and will be directed at the aggressor, to the heart of Tel Aviv and all of its supporters.”
