Iran has issued a strong warning of a decisive response to any new military attacks by the United States or Israel, amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. The Iranian Foreign Ministry underscored Tehran’s readiness to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national security, emphasizing that any aggression would prompt a forceful retaliation. The ministry also cautioned that countries participating in or facilitating such attacks would be held responsible for the consequences.
These statements came as part of ongoing diplomatic consultations with regional powers addressing recent developments in West Asia, which Tehran attributes to continued US and Israeli efforts to destabilize the region and increase the risk of broader military conflict.
The warnings followed comments by then-US President Donald Trump, who announced the cancellation of planned strikes against Iran, citing progress in negotiations and the potential for a swift agreement. Trump also suggested that Iran and several Middle Eastern countries had urged Washington to avoid military action. Prior to this announcement, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly expressed concern during a call with Trump, warning that renewed US military operations against Iran could further destabilize the region.
In a detailed statement issued on August 3, Iran’s Foreign Ministry reiterated its commitment to exercising its right to self-defense under international law and praised the country’s Armed Forces for safeguarding national sovereignty. The ministry accused Washington of violating a ceasefire agreement signed on June 18 by maintaining a naval blockade of Iranian ports and commercial shipping, conducting strikes on Iranian territory, and applying ongoing economic pressure and threats.
Tehran contends that the naval blockade amounts to an act of aggression under the United Nations General Assembly’s 1974 Definition of Aggression and that attacks on military installations, civilian infrastructure, and Iranian citizens violate the UN Charter. The ministry also criticized the UN Security Council and Secretary-General for insufficiently addressing what it describes as acts of US and Israeli aggression.
The dispute over control of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz was highlighted as a key issue. According to Iran, recent US military actions began on July 8 during a funeral ceremony for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and followed incidents involving three commercial vessels navigating what Iran considers an unauthorized and unsafe southern route. Tehran claims it was assigned responsibility for future navigation management in the Strait per a ceasefire memorandum and has repeatedly warned against use of the contested route. It accused the United States and some regional partners of disguising military personnel and equipment transport under the cover of commercial shipping.
Despite this harsh criticism, Tehran reaffirmed its desire for constructive relations with neighboring states based on mutual respect and emphasized that defensive strikes targeting sources of US aggression should not be interpreted as attacks on those regional countries whose territory might be involved.
Separately, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) condemned efforts to disarm Hamas, calling such attempts “doomed to fail.” The IRGC marked the second anniversary of the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, describing the killing as a grave violation of international law and Iranian sovereignty. It asserted that retaliation for the deaths of Haniyeh and the “martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution” remains certain.
The IRGC criticized Israel’s continued military operations in Gaza and southern Lebanon and accused Israel and its allies, including the United States and some Western and regional governments, of complicity in acts amounting to genocide and war crimes. It reaffirmed Iran’s support for the anti-Israel resistance and dismissed disarmament initiatives as strategically defeated, predicting that Palestinian forces would ultimately prevail.