Araghchi threatens wide strikes if new war erupts

ISTANBUL — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has threatened wide military strikes if a new war breaks out, according to a headline posted by Al Arabiya on Telegram on Saturday. The post gave no further detail.

The Al Arabiya post, published on 31 October, carried only a headline and a one-line summary. It did not say when or where Araghchi spoke, who the threat was aimed at, or what would count as the start of a new war. Zenga News has not independently verified the post, and no other source in the material reviewed repeats Araghchi's remarks.

Army spokesman's warning

A separate warning came the same day from the Iranian army. Spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akraminia said a new war could spread across a much larger area if US President Donald Trump launched "another adventure in the region" together with Israel, according to the Indonesian news agency Antara.

Antara said Akraminia made the comments in a post on X on Saturday. In Antara's translation, he wrote that if the US president again started a military venture in the region "under Zionist pressure and urging," the flames of war would "undoubtedly" spread over a far wider geographic area. He added that the end of the conflict "will not be in his hands," referring to Trump.

Akraminia said Trump had a record of betraying diplomacy, according to Antara. He said Iran's armed forces were continuing to raise their combat readiness and were closely monitoring US movements in the region.

The quotes from Akraminia are taken from Antara's Indonesian-language report and are not the original wording of his post. Zenga News has not seen the X post itself.

What is not confirmed

The Al Arabiya post does not say whether Araghchi's remarks and Akraminia's statement were linked. Neither source says that the US or Israel has announced plans for new strikes. Neither says that any new military action has begun or is imminent.

The exact wording of Araghchi's threat, and the strikes he referred to, are not described in the available material. The post is a social media item, and its content should be treated as a report of what Araghchi said until it is confirmed by Iranian officials or by a news report that includes his full remarks.

Background

According to Antara, tension in the Middle East remains high after the United States and Israel carried out strikes on Iran on 28 February. Iran responded with retaliatory action in the region, the agency said.

Diplomatic efforts followed. Antara reported that Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding in June. It said tensions have continued over security arrangements and shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz.

Antara's report linked to two related stories. One carried the headline that Trump would not let the Iran war drag on, a statement attributed to Vice President JD Vance. The other said a Qatari mediator had returned to Tehran in an effort to bring about peace between the United States and Iran. Zenga News has not reviewed the text of either story.

Antara illustrated its report with a file photo of anti-war demonstrators protesting near the White House in Washington on 7 April against US and Israeli attacks on Iran.