Iran chief negotiator vows 'crushing' response if US resumes attacks

TEHRAN: Iran’s chief negotiator on Saturday warned of a “crushing” response if US President Donald Trump resumed attacks on the country, saying Tehran had rebuilt its armed forces during the six-week-long ceasefire in the Middle East war.

“Our armed forces have rebuilt themselves during the ceasefire period in such a way that if Trump commits another act of folly and restarts the war, it will certainly be more crushing and bitter for the United States than on the first day of the war,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf posted on social media.

Ghalibaf issued the warning after meeting in capital Tehran with Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, a leading figure in diplomatic efforts to negotiate a deal to end the war.

Munir, who arrived in Tehran on Friday, has been holding talks with Iranian officials in Tehran as Trump threatens to end the fragile ceasefire that has paused the conflict since April 8.

The war broke out after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, prompting Tehran to retaliate with missile and drone strikes across the region.

Munir held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi late into Friday night after his arrival, according to the Iranian foreign ministry.

The two sides discussed “the latest diplomatic efforts and initiatives aimed at preventing further escalation and ending” the war, according to the ministry.

Iran’s presidential website also published images of Munir sitting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday, ahead of a second meeting with Araghchi.

State broadcaster IRIB said the meeting was expected to be a “very detailed and probably long” legal discussion at the foreign ministry.

Araghchi also held diplomatic calls with counterparts from Turkey, Iraq and Qatar, IRNA state news agency reported.

Iran’s top diplomat also spoke about “ongoing diplomatic efforts and trends to prevent escalation of tensions and to end the war” with his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi, IRNA added.

Oman has long mediated talks between Iran and the United States, while Iran has presented Pakistan as playing a mediation role amid the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.

The Iranian leadership has accused Washington of “excessive demands” in the talks, as it examines the latest US proposals.

One round of direct talks hosted by Islamabad last month, as well as weeks of backchannel diplomacy, have failed to produce an agreement to end the conflict.