Iran has issued a defiant response to fresh threats from United States President Donald Trump, insisting it will not be intimidated and warning that its armed forces are fully prepared to respond to any military action.
Speaking on Sunday, Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Ghalibaf, dismissed Washington’s latest warnings, saying Tehran no longer takes U.S. threats seriously.
“Don’t they think that if their threats had any effect, they would not have reached today’s state of desperation? We do not take American threats into account,” Ghalibaf said.
He further cautioned that Iran’s military was ready to respond decisively to any aggression.
“They would do better to be careful with their statements; our armed forces are ready to respond to them in a different manner. No matter what they say, we are the ones who act,” he added.
The exchange followed a fresh warning from President Trump, who accused Iran of continuing to support Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon despite ongoing diplomatic efforts.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump demanded that Tehran immediately halt its backing of what he described as “highly paid proxies” in Lebanon.
“If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!” Trump wrote.
The sharp war of words comes at a delicate moment, as senior U.S. and Iranian officials are engaged in high-level negotiations in Switzerland under the mediation of Pakistan and Qatar.
The talks are aimed at implementing a recently signed memorandum of understanding intended to reduce hostilities and lay the groundwork for broader discussions on regional security and Iran’s nuclear programme.
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However, the latest rhetoric has cast fresh doubt over the future of the negotiations.
Iranian media reported that Tehran suspended its participation in the talks after Trump’s remarks, although neither the White House nor Iranian officials had formally confirmed a permanent breakdown in the negotiations at the time of reporting.
The renewed tensions also come against the backdrop of continued instability in Lebanon, where concerns persist that clashes involving Israel and Hezbollah could derail fragile diplomatic progress and reignite wider regional conflict.
Analysts say the coming days will be crucial in determining whether diplomacy can survive the escalating exchange of threats between Washington and Tehran.
