Iran has warned that any renewed war with the United States could last longer than the previous conflict, following fresh threats by US President Donald Trump to strike more targets in the country.
Iranian military spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said Washington would not determine how or when a potential conflict would end.
“A potential future war could last longer than the previous conflict, and the American president would not be in a position to dictate the timing or the conditions of its conclusion,” Akraminia said on Sunday, according to Iranian state television.
His warning comes amid rising tensions between Tehran and Washington, despite diplomatic efforts to end the Middle East conflict.
Trump recently told reporters that the United States still had one or two targets to strike in Iran, suggesting the operation could be completed within minutes.
“We still have to take care of, I would say one or two sites, but we can do that in 10 minutes,” he said.
He also mentioned Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected underground nuclear facility, as a potential target.
Trump repeated his warning on Sunday during a campaign rally in Iowa, saying he might have to give Tehran “the hammer” at an unspecified time.
The threats followed reports that Trump had discussed possible military action against Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to Axios, which cited US and Israeli officials, Netanyahu pushed for immediate military action, while Trump preferred to allow negotiations to continue.
The Israeli official reportedly described the telephone conversation as “tough”, while the US official called it “direct”.
Trump confirmed speaking with Netanyahu about Iran but declined to provide further details.
Iran insists it is prepared for conflict and diplomacy
Iranian military and political officials have repeatedly warned against another attack.
Mohebbi said on Sunday that any conflict with the United States would not be limited to a 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, according to state television.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged Washington to pursue diplomacy rather than military action.
“We hope the other side will exercise rationality and choose diplomacy,” he said, adding that Iran “remains prepared for both defence and diplomacy”.
Meanwhile, Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, disclosed that he had received a letter from US Vice President JD Vance seeking to revive negotiations.
Rezaei said he had noticed a positive change in Washington’s tone but had yet to respond to the letter.
He added that Iran had previously made clear that negotiations and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz would depend on Washington meeting its demands.
These include unfreezing Iranian assets held abroad, ending the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, lifting sanctions and securing an end to the war on all fronts.
The Strait of Hormuz is a major international shipping route through which a significant share of the world’s oil supplies passes.
Iran has claimed control of the strategic waterway since the conflict began and has repeatedly targeted vessels attempting to cross without its authorisation.
The United States has also imposed a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has expressed hope that diplomatic efforts will prevent another round of fighting but said it was preparing for further escalation.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said the region had little to gain from renewed hostilities.
“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 said at a conference in Manama.
In Tehran, residents expressed mixed reactions to the growing threats of another war.
Mohadese, a 27-year-old health inspector, told AFP that the situation was worrying but beyond her control.
“The news coming in is truly worrying. However… there is nothing I can actually do about it,” she said.
However, 48-year-old vendor Ebrahim said he was not afraid of another conflict.
“We do not fear another war; we have been at war for 48 years now — we are always at war,” he said.
