The Iranian foreign minister said Iran is ready for war with the United States after President Donald Trump told reporters Sunday night that he was considering military action following deadly protests in the country.
In an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic on Monday, Abbas Araghchi said Iran is prepared for whatever option Trump chooses — including potential military action.
“If Washington wants to test the military option it has tested before, we are ready for it,” Araghchi told the outlet, referring to Trump’s bombings of three nuclear sites in the country last summer.
“We have a large and extensive military preparedness compared to what we had during the last war,” Araghchi added. “We are prepared for all options and hope Washington chooses the wise option.”
On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said airstrikes on Iran would be among the options “on the table” for Trump, but that “diplomacy is always the first option for the president.” However, Leavitt said, Trump “has shown he’s unafraid to use military options.”
Araghchi’s latest comments come after Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday that Iran was “starting to” cross his red line and that he was considering taking military action after a weekend of violent protests in Iran’s capital, Tehran, and other cities over economic conditions and the authoritarian regime.
On Sunday, Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that more than 500 people had died and more than 2,600 — including women and children — had been arrested in the protests. MS NOW has not independently verified those figures.
“There seem to be some people killed that aren’t supposed to be killed. These are violent, if you call them leaders,” Trump told reporters Sunday.
“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” the president added.
In response to Iran’s threats that it would consider counterstriking U.S. military and commercial bases, Trump said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before. They won’t even believe it. I have options that are so strong.”
He declined to elaborate on what those options are.
The president said that he was receiving an hourly report on the status of the protests, which began in late December after an economic crisis started; since then, they have broadened to focus on opposition to the authoritarian government, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has condemned the protests.
Following Trump’s comments Sunday, Khamenei said in French on X: “Today, as in the past, the United States is miscalculating with regard to Iran.”
“Our enemies do not know Iran,” Khamenei said in a second post early Monday morning. “In the past, the United States failed because of their poor planning. Even today, their misguided maneuvers will lead them to failure.”
Trump also said he would speak to Elon Musk about sending Starlink terminals to Iran in light of the widespread internet blackout.
Araghchi told Al Jazeera Arabic he remains in communication with U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. He said that Iran is ready to engage in nuclear talks with the U.S., “provided that it is without threats or dictates.”
“We do not believe Washington is ready for fair and just negotiations, and when it is ready, we will seriously consider the matter,” he said.
“Washington’s proposed ideas and threats against our country are incompatible,” Araghchi added.
Late Tuesday afternoon, the State Department urged American citizens in Iran to leave the country, citing “escalating” protests and security measures. “U.S. citizens should expect continued internet outages, plan alternative means of communication, and, if safe to do so, consider departing Iran by land to Armenia or Türkiye,” the department said.
Meanwhile, Trump announced in a Truth Social post that the U.S. would impose a 25 percent tariff on any country doing business with Iran, a decision he called “final and conclusive.”
Akayla Gardner contributed to this report.
Update, 5:30 p.m. E.T.: This story was updated with new information from the State Department and Trump.
Julianne McShane is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW who also covers the politics of abortion and reproductive rights. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at jmcshane.19 or follow her on X or Bluesky.