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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that Iran will continue fighting for as long as necessary, casting doubt on U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that the war could end soon.
Araghchi’s remarks came as Iran launched a new wave of attacks on U.S.-allied Gulf countries hours after Trump said the conflict might soon conclude.
In an interview with PBS News, Araghchi said Iran was prepared to continue missile attacks.
“The firings continue, and we are prepared. We are well prepared to continue attacking them with our missiles as long as needed and as long as it takes,” he said.
Araghchi also ruled out negotiations with Washington.
Recalling previous U.S. actions during earlier talks, he said: “I don’t think talking with Americans anymore would be on our agenda.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps also responded to Trump’s remarks, saying Iran would determine when the war ends.
Trump said Monday the war could end quickly. “It's going to be ended soon, and if it starts up again they'll be hit even harder,” he said at a news conference in Florida.
Trump told lawmakers the campaign would be a “short-term excursion.” “We've already won in many ways, but we haven't won enough,” he said.
He also warned Iran against blocking oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said the consequences would be severe if Tehran interferes with oil flows. “We will hit them so hard that it will not be possible for them or anybody else helping them to ever recover that section of the world, if they do anything,” he said.
Early Tuesday, Iranian attacks targeted several Gulf countries.
The United Arab Emirates said it was responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran. In Bahrain, authorities urged residents to take shelter as sirens sounded.
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait also said they intercepted and destroyed drones. In Iran, local media reported fresh attacks in Tehran and in the city of Khomein.
Israel said it struck an Iranian missile launcher shortly after an Iranian barrage triggered alerts in several parts of Israel.
Trump’s comments helped calm financial markets after sharp volatility the previous day.
Markets in Tokyo and Seoul opened strongly, while oil prices dropped by as much as five percent after benchmark crude had climbed above $100 a barrel earlier.
Trump also said the U.S. would waive some sanctions on oil following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Iran has targeted vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, a route through which nearly 20% of the world’s crude oil usually passes.
French President Emmanuel Macron said France and its allies were working on a “purely defensive” mission to reopen the waterway.
The conflict has expanded beyond Iran and Israel, drawing in neighboring countries.
Lebanon has been hit by Israeli strikes, with authorities saying attacks since March 2 have killed at least 486 people and wounded 1,313.
Hezbollah attacked Israel after the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, in U.S.-Israeli strikes.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun accused Hezbollah of working to “collapse” the state, while the head of the group’s parliamentary bloc said it had “no other option... than the option of resistance.”
Syria said Hezbollah fired artillery shells into its territory from Lebanon and warned that its army “will not tolerate any aggression.”
Israeli strikes and ground operations have displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Lebanon, with more than 660,000 registered as displaced.
Among them is Zainab el-Masry, who was sleeping with her family in a Beirut square. “We have nothing to eat or drink, just a bit of bread,” she said.
In Iran, residents said the conflict was affecting daily life and access to money.
Cafe manager Reza in the northeastern city of Boukan said banks had stopped distributing cash and many bank cards were blocked.
“The real problem is money,” he said. He said he had decided not to charge customers who could not afford to pay.
“For those who can't pay for their coffee, it's on the house,” he said.
State media also showed images of large crowds celebrating the appointment of Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei in central Tehran, with many people carrying his picture.
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