Iran has warned that any US military action would be met with an immediate and forceful response, even as its leadership signalled it remains open to negotiating a new nuclear agreement aimed at easing one of the most volatile stand-offs in the Middle East.
Speaking on Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iranian forces were prepared to respond decisively to any attack, after US President Donald Trump warned that time was running out to avoid military confrontation. Araghchi said Iran’s military stood ready to act but stressed that diplomacy remained possible if conducted without coercion.
In a message posted on social media, Araghchi said Iran would welcome a “fair and equitable” nuclear agreement that guarantees its right to peaceful nuclear technology while ensuring that it does not pursue nuclear weapons. He reiterated Tehran’s long-standing position that its nuclear programme is civilian in nature — a claim repeatedly challenged by the United States and its allies.
Earlier, Araghchi had warned that diplomacy pursued through military threats would not succeed. His later remarks, however, echoed President Trump’s own calls for Iran to return to negotiations, suggesting a narrow opening for dialogue despite the increasingly hostile rhetoric.
The tone hardened elsewhere within Iran’s leadership. Ali Shamkani, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that any US military action would be treated as the start of a full-scale war. He said even limited strikes would trigger an unprecedented response, including attacks on Israel, a key US ally.
Trump, for his part, said a “massive armada” of US naval vessels was moving into position near Iran, warning that American forces were ready to act swiftly and with overwhelming force if required. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later said Iran’s leadership was facing its weakest moment in decades, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz predicted the Islamic republic’s administration was nearing collapse following a deadly crackdown on unrest.
European pressure on Tehran is also mounting. France and Germany have backed efforts to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation at the EU level. The IRGC, which plays a central role in Iran’s military, political and economic life, is already listed as a terrorist group by the United States and Canada.
The escalating rhetoric comes against the backdrop of severe internal unrest in Iran. Anti-government protests that erupted in late December have been met with a sweeping security crackdown. Rights groups say more than 6,000 people have been killed, including hundreds of minors, with tens of thousands arrested. Iranian authorities have not confirmed the figures.
Human rights monitors report that security forces have continued to pursue wounded protesters in hospitals, while internet access—cut during the height of the unrest—has only partially returned, with heavy restrictions still in place.
Despite the rising tensions, regional diplomacy has intensified. Iran has reached out to US allies in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt, in an apparent effort to reduce the risk of further conflict. Officials in those countries have publicly urged restraint and de-escalation.
Analysts say Washington’s options range from limited strikes on Iranian military or nuclear facilities to more expansive action aimed at Iran’s leadership. The stakes are heightened by last year’s US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites during Israel’s brief war with Tehran, which marked a significant escalation in confrontation.
For now, Iran’s message appears deliberately dual-tracked: a warning that it is prepared for war, coupled with a signal that diplomacy remains possible. Whether that balance holds may depend on whether threats give way to negotiations—or if they tip the region into a new and dangerous phase of conflict.
