'Fingers on trigger': Iran warns of strong response while signaling openness to 'fair' deal
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran issued a warning on Wednesday, saying the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic are prepared to respond “immediately and powerfully” to any aggression, even as he signaled Tehran’s willingness to reach a nuclear deal under the right conditions.
In a post on X, Araghchi said the Iranian military forces stood “with their fingers on the trigger,” ready to defend the land, air, and sea.
He said the military has integrated “valuable lessons” from the 12-day war in June, which, he said, would allow for a response far more “rapid and profound” than previous encounters.
The comments come in direct response to a surge in bellicose language from Donald Trump, the president of the United States.
On January 27, Trump told reporters that “another beautiful armada” of warships was currently “floating beautifully toward Iran.”
In a subsequent post on Truth Social, Trump signaled that the naval deployment was intended to pressure Tehran back to the negotiating table.
Ebrahim Azizi, Chairman of the National Security Committee of the Iranian Parliament, says in case of any US acts of aggression, assets of the Trump Organization are legitimate targets for Iran.
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However, Trump warned that failure to reach a deal would result in a military strike “far worse” than the US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025.
Following the June strike, Iran launched a massive missile barrage at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, a major hub for US forces in the region.
Araghchi reiterated Iran’s long-standing position on its nuclear program.
He said Tehran remains open to a “mutually beneficial, fair, and equitable” nuclear deal, provided it is conducted on an “equal footing” and remains free from “coercion, threats, and intimidation.”
He said such a deal must ensure Iran’s rights to peaceful nuclear technology while guaranteeing that Tehran will not build nuclear weapons.
“Such weapons have no place in our security calculations and we have NEVER sought to acquire them,” Araghchi posted on X.
'Limited strike an illusion'
Separately, Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, dismissed the notion of a “limited strike” as an illusion.
A ‘limited strike’ is an illusion. Any military action by #us—from any origin and at any level—will be considered the #start_of_war, and its response will be immediate, #all_out, and unprecedented, targeting heart of #TelAviv and all those supporting the aggressor.
— علی شمخانی (@alishamkhani_ir) January 28, 2026
"A ‘limited strike’ is an illusion," Shamkhani wrote in a post on X. "Any military action by the US—from any origin and at any level—will be considered the start of war."
Shamkhani warned that the Iranian response would be "immediate, all-out, and unprecedented," specifically threatening to target the "heart of Tel Aviv" and any parties supporting American aggression.
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