Iran warned on Sunday that any renewed war with the United States could last longer than the previous round of fighting, and that the US president would not be able to dictate the timing or terms of its end. The warning came from army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia, speaking on Iranian state television.
It followed remarks by President Donald Trump, who told reporters at his Florida residence: "We still have to take care of, I would say, one or two sites, but we can do that in 10 minutes." He also mentioned "Pickaxe Mountain", a suspected underground nuclear complex.
Revolutionary Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebbi echoed a written message issued a day earlier by Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, saying a war with America would have "no geographical limitations". The war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, to which Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks across the region.
Diplomacy continues
Alongside the threats, diplomatic contacts are continuing. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said on Saturday he had received a letter from US Vice-President JD Vance seeking to revive talks. He noted a positive change in Washington's "tone" but said he had not yet replied.
Rezaei said Tehran had already told Washington that unless its conditions were met, neither would the Strait of Hormuz reopen nor would negotiations take place. Those conditions include unfreezing Iranian assets abroad, ending the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, lifting sanctions and ending the war on all fronts.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, told a conference in Manama that the Emirates hoped for a diplomatic breakthrough but was "braced for the worst".