Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has cautioned the United States that his country is fully prepared to respond militarily if Washington chooses to “test” it, following comments by US President Donald Trump suggesting possible military action over Iran’s handling of antigovernment demonstrations.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera Arabic on Monday, Araghchi said that despite ongoing unrest, communication lines between Tehran and Washington had not been closed.
However, he underscored that Iran was “prepared for all options”, asserting that the country now possesses “large and extensive military preparedness” compared with the 12-day war it fought last year.
The warning came a day after Trump said he was weighing “strong options” against Iran, including the use of force, in response to the government’s crackdown on protests that initially erupted over economic hardship and later expanded into demands for fundamental political change.
Trump, who recently ordered the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a US Special Forces intervention, said preparations were under way for talks with Iran on its nuclear programme.
At the same time, he added, “but we may have to act because of what is happening before the meeting”.
Responding to those remarks, Araghchi said, “If Washington wants to test the military option it has tested before, we are ready for it.” He noted that Iran still hoped the United States would opt for “the wise option” of diplomacy, while cautioning against “those trying to drag Washington into war in order to serve Israel’s interests”.
Araghchi also reiterated Tehran’s position that unrest had been exacerbated by outside forces, claiming “terrorist elements” had “infiltrated the crowds of protesters and targeted security forces and demonstrators”. Iranian authorities have accused the US and Israel of fuelling the protests. State media say more than 100 members of the security forces have been killed, while opposition activists claim hundreds of demonstrators have lost their lives — figures that Al Jazeera has not been able to independently confirm.
The flow of information from the country has been severely restricted, with NetBlocks reporting that Iran had been offline for 96 hours as of 16:29 GMT on Monday due to an internet shutdown.
According to Araghchi, discussions with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had “continued before and after the protests and are still ongoing”. He added, however, that “Washington’s proposed ideas and threats against our country are incompatible.”
Emphasising Iran’s position on diplomacy, he said, “We are ready to sit at the nuclear negotiating table, provided that it is without threats or dictates.”
Separately, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that any US intervention would make American forces and Israel “legitimate targets”.
Meanwhile, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Iran was conveying “quite different” messages behind closed doors, as The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington was considering additional military discussions. Last year, the United States carried out air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities during Israel’s 12-day conflict with Iran.
