Iran threatens to ‘rain down hell’ if US escalates war

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has cautioned that Tehran will "rain down hell" if the United States resumes attacks, serving Washington with an ultimatum in an attempt to end the two countries' eight-month war.

Key points

• Iran's Foreign Ministry additionally quoted Araghchi in an earlier statement on Sunday that stated Iran would "not go easy on American targets" in the region.
• "As senior commanders of the armed forces have pointed out, we have upgraded our capabilities in the post-Ramadan War period, " Belali remarked.
• "Our 2-day proposal stands: meet the requirements, including end to war on all fronts, and you will see results, " Araghchi wrote in a post on X on Sunday.
• Araghchi alleged that negotiations have been delayed since of the elections, but he awaits the path forward, Iranian state media noted.
• Trump cautioned that US forces have three aircraft carriers stationed in the region "fully locked and loaded", ready to continue strikes if need be.

"Or choose war, and see our alert and battle-hardened warriors rain down hell, " he remarked.

US President Donald Trump remarked on Sunday that renewed strikes on Iran are "highly unlikely" if negotiations progress over Tehran's nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

"It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement, " Trump remarked when asked concerning continued US strikes on Iran during a phone interview documented by CNN. "I would, if necessary, but we hit them really hard, " he continued.

Trump cautioned that US forces have three aircraft carriers stationed in the region "fully locked and loaded", ready to continue strikes if need be. According to He additionally, the US has 38 bridges in Iran's crosshairs that US forces "can knock down in literally one hour".

Araghchi's statements came after reports by state media that an oil tanker caught fire earlier that morning after hitting a naval mine east of the Strait of Hormuz, citing Iran's navy.

For context, the navy asserted the ship's identification systems were turned off and it was travelling in the no-go zone of the strait. 'Devastating and severe' response.

Notably, an adviser to Iran's commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Aerospace Force created threats that echoed those of the Iranian foreign minister and stated that weapons have been "secured for years to come".

"The armed forces are at the ready, and if the enemy makes a mistake, Iran's response will be devastating and severe, " cautioned IRGC Brigadier-General Ali Belali in an official note on Telegram.

Meanwhile, the back-and-fourth between Iranian and US leaders comes after US midterm elections in which the Democratic Party won control of both chambers of Congress, soundly defeating Trump's Republican Party.

"It will take some time for things to settle down and for the atmosphere to become conducive to the mediators resuming their visits, " the foreign minister remarked. "We have to wait."

For now, iran threatens to 'rain down hell' if US escalates war remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.