Iranian authorities pushed back against what they described as threats from the United States, with officials urging Washington to consider the broader political consequences of such provocative rhetoric.
On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken underscored Washington’s preference for diplomacy to prevent Iran from advancing a nuclear weapons program, while not ruling out the use of military options if necessary. He emphasized that all options remain on the table as part of a comprehensive approach to security in the region.
In response, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani reiterated Tehran’s long-standing claim that its nuclear work is peaceful and designed solely for civilian purposes. He stressed that nuclear weapons have no place in Iran’s national security doctrine.
Iran asserted that the United States would not tolerate any aggression on its territory or interests, promising a decisive response to any perceived threat that could cause damage or suffering to Iranian security and sovereignty.
Iranian officials also criticized U.S. support for protests that began after the death of Mahsa Amini in custody, calling on Washington to drop what they termed hypocrisy and to stop underestimating the political dynamics at play in Iran. They framed Western narratives as attempts to manipulate domestic events rather than reflect objective truth.
Kanaani charged that the United States and its European partners gain nothing from portraying Iran’s domestic affairs inaccurately, asserting that Tehran would hold them accountable for what he described as anti-Iranian actions and distortions of Iran’s policies.
Tehran’s permanent mission to the United Nations cautioned that while Iran views a military option by the United States as unlikely at present, any level of escalation would amount to war. The mission indicated that the threat of confrontation remains a serious concern, even if the current assessment is that a full-scale war is not imminent.
Sources familiar with deliberations at Newsweek said that Washington’s miscalculation could trigger regional and global consequences, should a war start. The view attributed to these sources was that Iran possesses the capacity to defend its security and interests in the face of external pressure and aggression.
The latest public statements come amid a wave of incidents, including a series of explosions centered at an arms depot in Isfahan. While Tehran attributed the event to a drone strike, reporting from The Wall Street Journal cited U.S. sources suggesting Israeli involvement, with Israel reportedly keeping quiet about the specifics of what occurred.
Analysts note that the episode underscores the fragile balance in regional security dynamics, where multiple actors may perceive incentives to act, or to refrain from action, based on evolving political calculations and risk assessments.