Iran’s armed forces chief, Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, warned the United States and Western powers on Thursday that any new aggression would meet a “decisive, overwhelming and unprecedented” response, vowing retaliation for past strikes on the country’s nuclear facilities.
Hours earlier, US President Donald Trump warned Tehran against resuming uranium enrichment, threatening further military action.
Speaking at a news conference, Trump described Iran as a source of hatred and a very evil place, predicting a very different situation there in the coming years without offering details.
He defended US strikes on Iran’s nuclear program, saying the US prevented wars in the Middle East by stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
On June 22, US B-2 bombers hit key nuclear facilities in Fordow, south of Tehran, and in the central cities of Isfahan and Natanz, during a 12-day air war between Israel and Iran. The strikes came two days before a ceasefire took effect on June 24.
Tasnim news agency, affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, quoted Mousavi as saying that Iran had withstood “fierce attacks” by Israel during the June conflict.
“We are fighting the enemy on multiple fronts,” he said. “We must be ready for all battlefields - military, cognitive, media, cultural and economic.”
Mousavi acknowledged the killing of field commanders and nuclear scientists, praising their “historic responsibility” in the face of threats. “The recent events clearly show that this illegitimate entity’s claims are worthless,” he said, accusing Israel of seeking to drag Iran into chaos and war. “If an aggressor sets foot on this land, Iranians of all faiths will stand united against it.”
Post-war, Mousavi said, Iran was “stronger and more united” despite economic challenges, warning of a “hybrid war” targeting national unity and morale. On Israel’s future, he said: “It has none. This entity is like a vehicle with failed brakes heading aimlessly towards collapse.”
Addressing US policymakers, Mousavi asked: “Do you really want to sacrifice your country’s fate and future generations to save Netanyahu? The Iranian nation will never forget America’s crimes, and future generations will take revenge.”
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state TV on Wednesday night that “the Americans realized the military option was useless,” rejecting any US pledge as a basis for restarting talks. “If they think bombing our facilities will make us back down, it’s the opposite - our position has become more resolute,” he said.
Araghchi stressed that while facilities could be rebuilt and equipment replaced, “science does not vanish under bombardment.”
Parliament’s national security commission chief Ebrahim Azizi dismissed US threats as “worn-out language” and warned that Iran’s security was a red line. Revolutionary Guards intelligence head Majid Khademi said Tehran had drawn “valuable lessons” from the war and would “inevitably force the enemy to stay in its place.”
