• Analysis
Iran US war warning: Tehran says renewed conflict could outlast last war
An Iran US war warning from Tehran on Sunday held that any renewed conflict could last longer than the previous war, as diplomacy continued ahead of Tuesday's US midterm elections.
Army warns a future war could last longer
The Iran US war warning came on Sunday, at a moment when diplomacy is still running alongside military threats, ahead of Tuesday's US midterm elections. According to state television, Iranian army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia said that if fighting broke out again, the course and the end of it would not be set in Washington.
"A potential future war could last longer than previous conflict, and the American president would not be in a position to dictate"
Trump points to remaining Iranian sites
President Donald Trump told reporters the United States still had targets in mind.
"We still have to take care of, I would say one or two sites, but we can do that in 10 minutes"
- •Trump referenced Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected underground nuclear complex in Iran, saying: "You probably could look at Pickaxe Mountain, and you have to take care of that. We can do that all very quickly"
- •US media reported he held a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday over whether and when to ramp up combat operations
- •Axios, citing one US and one Israeli official, reported Netanyahu pressed Trump to strike Iran immediately after Tuesday's midterm elections, while Trump was eager to let negotiations play out
- •The Israeli source described the call as "tough" and the US source called it "direct"; Trump confirmed Iran was discussed but did not elaborate
Iranian officials frame the threat
Revolutionary Guards spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi said on Sunday that any conflict with America would not stay within set borders.
"In a conflict with America, there are no geographical limitations; a vast theatre has been defined for inflicting damage upon the enemy"
Mohebbi's words echoed a written warning issued a day earlier by Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi struck a different note, telling IRNA: "We hope the other side will exercise rationality and choose diplomacy". Iran, he said, remained prepared for both defence and diplomacy.
Talks, conditions and regional nerves
Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei said on Saturday he had received a letter from US Vice President JD Vance seeking to revive talks, noting a positive change in the US tone but no response yet from Tehran.
- •Rezaei said Tehran had made clear to Washington that talks would not happen and the Strait of Hormuz closure would continue unless its terms were satisfied
- •By Rezaei's account, those terms are: Iranian assets held abroad released, the months-long US naval blockade of Iranian ports lifted, longstanding sanctions removed and the war ended on every front
- •Since the war began, Iran has claimed control over the Strait of Hormuz and repeatedly targeted vessels crossing without authorisation; the US imposed a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports
- •Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the Emirati president, told a conference in Manama on Sunday that the UAE hoped for a diplomatic breakthrough but was braced for the worst
In Tehran, residents watched the escalation with mixed feelings. Mohadese, a 27-year-old health inspector, said the news coming in was truly worrying but there was nothing she could actually do about it. Ebrahim, a 48-year-old vendor in downtown Tehran, went further.
"We do not fear another war; we have been at war for 48 years now – we are always at war"
Rezaei said he had not yet responded to the Vance letter, with Iranian conditions unmet and diplomatic efforts continuing ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections.
