ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran says it is prepared for “all scenarios” and could expand the war if the US launches another major military campaign, following President Donald Trump’s mixed messages on Tuesday about indirect negotiation with Iranians and possible annihilation of the country if the two sides reach no deal.
A senior Iranian security official told the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-affiliated Fars News that Tehran had received information suggesting Washington was considering renewed military action with the support of some regional countries.
“The United States has left no red lines in the region, and Iran is prepared for all existing scenarios,” the official said, adding that if another war begins, Tehran is not afraid of the “expansion of the war.”
Iran’s recent remarks come a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with the help of negotiators on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Araghchi conveyed Tehran’s “firm stance” on easing maritime restrictions around the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported. Iran said reopening the waterway requires an immediate lifting of the US naval blockade, release of frozen Iranian assets and an end to the war across all fronts - in reference to Hezbollah and Houthis.
Meanwhile, state media on Wednesday quoted an unnamed senior source saying Iran’s seven conditions had been conveyed to the US, with Washington being told that the Strait of Hormuz would not be reopened unless they are met.
The meeting, requested by Washington, came as Trump said the “situation with Iran” would end after the midterm elections.
The Iranian official also claimed Iran had successfully tested several new anti-ship and surface-to-surface missiles since the conflict began, and said weapons research, development and production had been moved underground and were continuing around the clock.
The comments follow a similar warning from Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the country’s top joint military command, which said US bases and interests across the region would face “continuous, effective and painful attacks” without limitation if Washington resumed strikes. It also warned regional states against assisting another US operation.
The new threats from Iran come as President Trump announced on Tuesday that his envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff had constructive talks with the Iranians through the negotiators. Secretary of State Marco Rubio separately said Washington remained open to talks if they could produce meaningful results.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei also confirmed that indirect contact with Washington had taken place through Qatar, saying Tehran used the channel to communicate its conditions for any agreement.
The threats come amid renewed instability in Hormuz. Two commercial vessels were struck in separate incidents earlier this week, including the Isle of Man-flagged tanker LR Stephanie and the Liberia-flagged LPG carrier Al Maryah. Responsibility for both attacks remains unconfirmed.
Iranian officials have meanwhile maintained that reopening the Strait of Hormuz depends on Washington easing military pressure and lifting its blockade of Iranian ports. Tehran says it could reopen the waterway within seven days if its conditions are met.
Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, senior military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader and a former commander-in-chief of the IRGC, said Iran would continue retaliating against the US and framed the confrontation as a test of endurance.
“We are defending our land and imposing reciprocal blows on America,” Safavi said. “What matters is whether their resilience is greater or the resilience of the Iranian nation, and our people have already proved that.”
Safavi also argued that Washington had failed in its broader regional aims, saying one US objective had been to gain control over Iranian oil, while Tehran now had leverage over global energy flows. “America wanted to open the Strait of Hormuz, but now the Bab al-Mandab has also run into trouble,” he said.
The Strait of Hormuz has remained a major flashpoint since the six-week US-Iran war began in late February, with reciprocal restrictions sharply reducing maritime traffic and the US blockade in place since mid-July.
