Senior Iranian officials on Wednesday issued stark warnings that any U.S. military strike against the country would be met with a rapid and forceful response, as tensions escalated over President Donald Trump’s deployment of what he described as a “massive armada” toward the region.
“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,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X.
Araghchi added that Tehran had drawn “valuable lessons” from the recent 12-Day War, saying those experiences would enable Iran to respond “more strongly, rapidly and profoundly” to any attack.
Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to the supreme leader, delivered a similar message, warning on X that “a limited strike is a delusion.”
“Any military action by the U.S., from any source and at any level, will be considered the beginning of a war,” he said, vowing an “immediate, comprehensive and unprecedented” response targeting “the aggressor, the heart of Tel Aviv, and all those who support the aggressor.”
Despite the heightened rhetoric, Araghchi did not rule out diplomacy, saying Iran still welcomes a “mutually beneficial, fair and equitable” nuclear agreement that respects Tehran’s right to peaceful nuclear technology and ensures no nuclear weapons.
The warnings came after Trump said he hoped Iran would “come to the table” but confirmed the deployment of a carrier strike group “just in case,” amid rising concerns over the situation inside Iran and the wider region.
