Iran’s top diplomat said Jan. 12 that the country is prepared for war while leaving the door open to negotiations, as President Donald Trump considers U.S. military action in response to Iran’s violent crackdown on nationwide protests.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the regime is “not seeking war but is fully prepared for war,” according to the New York Post. He added that Tehran is “also ready for negotiations, but these negotiations should be fair, with equal rights and based on mutual respect.”
Trump on Jan. 11 reiterated warnings that the U.S. could strike Iran if authorities use lethal force against demonstrators. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said it “looks like” Iran may have crossed that line and the U.S. military has “some very strong options” available.
Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said, “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed that stance Jan. 12, telling reporters that Trump views diplomacy as his “first option” but is prepared to use military force “if and when he deems that necessary.” She said airstrikes are among “the many, many options that are on the table.”
Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf warned that any U.S. action would trigger retaliation, saying both Israel and “all American military centers, bases, and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets” in the event of an attack on Iran, AP News reported.
“We do not consider ourselves limited to reacting after the action and will act based on any objective signs of a threat,” Ghalibaf said during a parliament session broadcast live on Iranian state television.
Ghalibaf’s warning followed reports that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone about the possibility of U.S. strikes on Iran.
Leavitt told reporters that Tehran’s private messages to Washington differ sharply from its public rhetoric, though she didn’t provide details.
“What you’re hearing publicly from the Iranian regime is quite different from the messages the administration is receiving privately,” she said, adding that Trump has an interest in exploring those communications.
According to ABC News, Trump is scheduled to receive a briefing Jan. 13 to review potential U.S. responses to the crisis. But Trump has suggested that action could come sooner.
“We may have to act, because of what’s happening, before the meeting,” Trump said on Air Force One Jan. 11. “But a meeting is being set up, Iran called — they want to negotiate.”
The unrest began Dec. 28 in Tehran’s bazaars amid soaring inflation and economic collapse. As CatholicVote previously reported, protests have since spread nationwide and evolved into broader calls for regime change. The demonstrations represent one of the most serious challenges to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the regime that has ruled since it was first established in 1979 after the Islamic Revolution.
Iranian authorities reportedly imposed a nationwide internet shutdown Jan. 8, plunging the country into a near-total information blackout. On the morning of Jan. 12, internet monitoring group NetBlocks said the country had experienced more than 96 consecutive hours of internet disruption, severely limiting reporting and public accountability as protests continue.
According to data from the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, cited by ABC News, at least 544 people have been killed and more than 10,600 arrested during the unrest. ABC News noted that it “cannot independently verify these numbers.” Iranian authorities have not released comprehensive casualty data, but the state-aligned Tasnim news agency reported Jan. 11 that 109 security personnel had been killed in the protests.
>> Bishop Barron praises bravery of Iranians protesting oppressive regime <<
