Key facts
- Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said the American president could not dictate the timing or conditions of a war's conclusion, according to Iranian state television.
- Revolutionary Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said a conflict with America has no geographical limitations, according to state television.
- Trump told reporters the US still had to take care of one or two sites in Iran and could do so in 10 minutes.
- Trump referred to Pickaxe Mountain, which the report described as a suspected underground nuclear complex.
- Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei said he had received a letter from US Vice President JD Vance seeking to revive talks and had yet to respond.
- Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the Emirati president, said the UAE hoped for a diplomatic breakthrough but was braced for the worst.
Iran warned on Sunday that any renewed war with the United States could last longer than the previous round of fighting, after US President Donald Trump said he still had to take care of more targets. Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said a potential future war could last longer than the previous conflict and that the American president would not be in a position to dictate its timing or conditions, according to Iranian state television.
Trump told reporters he still had to take care of one or two sites in Iran and could do so in 10 minutes. He pointed to Pickaxe Mountain, which the report described as a suspected underground nuclear complex.
Revolutionary Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said a conflict with America had no geographical limitations and that a vast theatre had been defined for inflicting damage on the enemy, according to state television. He echoed a written warning issued a day earlier by Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
The warnings followed a disclosure by Iran's security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, who said on Saturday that he had received a letter from US Vice President JD Vance seeking to revive talks. Rezaei described a positive change in tone from the US side but said he had yet to respond. He said Tehran had told Washington that unless its conditions were met, neither the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened nor would there be negotiations. Those conditions include unfreezing Iranian assets abroad, ending a US naval blockade of Iranian ports, lifting sanctions and ending the war on all fronts.
US media reported that Trump held a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday over whether and when to expand combat operations against Iran. Axios, citing one US and one Israeli official, said Netanyahu pressed for strikes immediately after Tuesday's US midterm elections while Trump wanted negotiations to play out. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump confirmed he had discussed Iran with Netanyahu but would not elaborate.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the Emirati president, told a conference in Manama that the United Arab Emirates hoped the exchanges would yield a diplomatic breakthrough but was preparing for the worst.
The most intense phase of the war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Tehran retaliated with missile and drone attacks across the region, and Iran-aligned armed groups joined the fighting in Lebanon and Yemen. Since the war began, Iran has claimed control over the Strait of Hormuz and repeatedly targeted vessels attempting to cross without its authorization, while the United States has imposed a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports.