‘If You Do Something Wrong’: Iran Warns It'll Acquire Nukes If Attacked By US Or Allies

“Iran does not want to do this, but … (it) will have no choice," he added.

“If at some point you (the US) move towards bombing by yourself or through Israel, you will force Iran to make a different decision."

Trump said on Saturday “there will be bombing" if Iran did not agree to a nuclear deal, according to NBC News, which said he also threatened to punish Tehran with what he called “secondary tariffs".

Despite the sharpening of Trump’s comments, it was not clear if he was threatening a US bombing or an operation coordinated with another country, possibly Iran’s nemesis, Israel.

“They threaten to do mischief," Khamenei said of the remarks during a speech for the holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

“If it is carried out, they will receive a strong counterattack."

The message was sent to the UN Security Council in a letter by Iran’s UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani, which condemned what he called “warmongering provocations".

Iran “will respond swiftly and decisively to any act of aggression or attack by the United States or its proxy, the Israeli regime," the envoy added.

‘Glass room’

“Someone who is in a glass room shouldn’t throw stones at anyone," the man in charge of Iran’s ballistic missile programme threatened on state television Monday.

Since taking office in January, Trump has reinstated his “maximum pressure" policy, which in his first term saw the United States withdraw from a landmark agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme and reimpose sanctions on Tehran.

Western countries, including the United States, have long accused Iran of pursuing a nuclear weapon, which Tehran has denied, insisting its enrichment activities were solely for peaceful purposes.

The 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers required Iran to limit its nuclear processing in exchange for sanctions relief.

‘Indirect’ channel

On March 7, Trump said he had written to Khamenei to call for nuclear negotiations and warn of possible military action if Tehran refused.

The letter was delivered to Tehran on March 12 by a United Arab Emirates envoy, Iran’s Fars news agency reported at the time.

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a response had been sent through Oman, without detailing its content.

Araghchi said Iran would not engage in direct talks “under maximum pressure and the threat of military action".

In his remarks, however, the minister left open the door for “indirect negotiations".

According to NBC, Trump said US and Iranian officials were “talking," but he did not give details.

President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday said Khamenei, who as supreme leader has the final say in major state policies, had permitted indirect talks.

Oman has served as an intermediary in the past, in the absence of US-Iranian diplomatic relations severed after the 1979 Islamic revolution.

On Monday, Araghchi said the United States had received Iran’s letter.

“We have been informed by our friends in Oman that the letter has reached its destination and has been read."

Beyond its nuclear programme, the West also accuses Iran of using proxy forces to expand its influence in the region, a charge Tehran rejects.

“There is only one proxy force in this region, and that is the corrupt usurper Zionist regime," Khamenei said, calling for Israel to be “eradicated".

April 01, 2025, 08:56 IST