Iran warned on Sunday that any renewed military conflict with the United States could last significantly longer than the previous round of fighting, responding to remarks by US President Donald Trump that Washington still had Iranian targets to address.
The escalating rhetoric comes as diplomatic efforts to resolve the Middle East crisis face mounting pressure from threats by Washington and Tel Aviv to resume military strikes, amid crucial domestic elections, reports AFP.
Speaking on state television, Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia warned that any future confrontation would not end on Washington’s terms.
“A potential future war could last longer than previous conflict, and the American president would not be in a position to dictate the timing or the conditions of its conclusion,” Akraminia said.
Akraminia’s remarks followed Trump’s comments that the United States could quickly carry out strikes against remaining installations in Iran.
Speaking to journalists, Trump claimed that Washington could eliminate its remaining targets within “10 minutes”.
“We still have to take care of, I would say one or two sites, but we can do that in 10 minutes,” Trump said, specifically referring to Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected underground nuclear complex.
Tensions were further heightened by reports in US media about a telephone conversation between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday concerning a possible escalation of military operations against Tehran.
Citing one American and one Israeli official, Axios reported that Netanyahu had urged Trump to launch strikes against Iran immediately after Tuesday’s US midterm elections. Trump, however, reportedly favoured allowing diplomatic negotiations to continue.
An Israeli source described the exchange as “tough”, while a US official characterised it as “direct”.
Trump acknowledged on Sunday that he had discussed Iran with Netanyahu but declined to provide further details.
Iranian military and political leaders have also warned against any fresh aggression.
Revolutionary Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebbi reiterated warnings contained in a written message delivered a day earlier by Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
Speaking on state television, Mohebbi said Tehran would not limit its military response to any particular geographical area.
“In a conflict with America, there are no geographical limitations; a vast theatre has been defined for inflicting damage upon the enemy,” he said.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called for diplomatic restraint.
In remarks carried by the official IRNA news agency, Araghchi said Tehran hoped Washington would “exercise rationality and choose diplomacy”, adding that Iran “remains prepared for both defence and diplomacy”.
The warnings came as Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei disclosed on Saturday that he had received a letter from US Vice President JD Vance proposing a resumption of diplomatic talks.
Although Rezaei acknowledged a positive shift in Washington’s tone, he said he had yet to respond to the letter.
He also stressed that Tehran had previously communicated strict conditions to Washington for restarting negotiations and reopening maritime routes.
Unless those conditions were met, “neither would the Strait of Hormuz be reopened nor would there be any negotiations”, he said.
Iran’s conditions include the unfreezing of Iranian assets held abroad, an immediate end to the months-long US naval blockade of Iranian ports, the lifting of longstanding economic sanctions and a complete cessation of hostilities on all fronts.
The war began on 28 February with initial US-Israeli strikes against Iran, prompting widespread retaliation by Tehran through drone and missile attacks across the region.
Iran-aligned armed groups in Lebanon and Yemen subsequently joined the fighting.
Throughout the conflict, Tehran has asserted control over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy route, and repeatedly targeted merchant vessels attempting to pass through without Iranian authorisation.
In response, the United States imposed a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
Regional neighbours are closely monitoring the situation amid concerns about a wider escalation.
Speaking at a conference in Manama on Sunday, Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the President of the United Arab Emirates, expressed hope for a diplomatic solution while confirming that the UAE was preparing for possible consequences.
“We’re hoping that there is a diplomatic breakthrough,” Gargash said.
“It is not the interest of the region to go through another round… But I think we’re also, as we’ve shown before, braced for the worst,” he added.
In Tehran, public reactions to the possibility of renewed fighting have reflected a mixture of anxiety and defiance.
Mohadese, a 27-year-old health inspector, told AFP that the developments were deeply concerning.
“The news coming in is truly worrying. However… there is nothing I can actually do about it,” she said.
In contrast, Ebrahim, a 48-year-old vendor in downtown Tehran, expressed defiance.
“We do not fear another war; we have been at war for 48 years now — we are always at war,” he told reporters.
