Iran Warns Trump: US Will Face Destruction If War Breaks Out Again
Relations between the United States and Iran continue to escalate following the failure to reach a peace agreement between the two nations. Iran’s lead negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has issued an ultimatum, stating that Iran will ensure the US experiences destruction if war breaks out again.
“Our armed forces have rebuilt themselves during the ceasefire period in such a manner,” Ghalibaf said, as reported by AFP on Saturday (23/5/2026).
Ghalibaf asserted that Iran would offer fierce resistance if President Donald Trump chooses to continue the war. He suggested that the US would experience something far more bitter than the first conflict that occurred on 28 February.
“So, if Trump commits other foolish acts and restarts the war, it will certainly be more destructive and bitter for the United States than on the first day of the war,” Ghalibaf stated.
Ghalibaf issued this warning following a meeting with the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan, Field Marshal Asim Munir. Marshal Munir is a prominent figure in the diplomatic efforts to negotiate an agreement to end the war.
Munir, who arrived in Tehran on Friday (22/5), held discussions with Iranian officials in Tehran while Trump threatens to end the fragile ceasefire that has halted the conflict since 8 April.
According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Munir held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi late into the night on Friday following his arrival. Both parties discussed “the latest diplomatic efforts and initiatives aimed at preventing further escalation and ending” the war, according to the ministry.
The Iranian presidency website also published images of Munir sitting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday, ahead of a second meeting with Araghchi.
State broadcaster IRIB reported that the meeting was expected to be a “very detailed and potentially lengthy” legal discussion at the Foreign Ministry.
Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, reported that Araghchi also conducted diplomatic calls with his counterparts from Turkey, Iraq, and Qatar. The senior Iranian diplomat also discussed “ongoing diplomatic efforts and trends to prevent the escalation of tensions and end the war” with his Omani counterpart, Badr Albusaidi.
Oman has long served as a mediator in talks between Iran and the United States, while Iran has positioned Pakistan as a mediating party amidst the conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel.
Iranian leadership has accused Washington of making “excessive demands” during the negotiations. A round of direct talks hosted by Islamabad last month, along with several weeks of back-channel diplomacy, has so far failed to produce an agreement to end the US-Iran conflict.