Iran negotiator Qalibaf urges US to be ‘cautious’ after Trump threats

Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf urged the US on Sunday to be “cautious” in its rhetoric following threats by President Donald Trump, saying Iran’s armed forces are “ready to respond” to American threats. In a post on X, Qalibaf questioned the effectiveness of US pressure on Tehran. “Do they not ask themselves that if their threats had any effect, they would not have reached this state of despair today? We do not rely on American threats,” he wrote.

Trump’s warnings

Earlier Sunday, Trump urged Iran to “immediately stop their highly paid proxies in Lebanon from causing trouble,” warning that Washington would hit Tehran “very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder.” In a Fox News interview, Trump threatened to take over the Strait of Hormuz and collect tolls, and warned Iranian President Pezeshkian to “watch his mouth,” saying “we’ll take over the rest of the country” if he does not “shape up.” Fox News also reported that Trump told Iranians overnight that if they close the strait, “you won’t have a country.”

First round concludes

The first round of four‑party talks involving Iran and the US, with mediation by Qatar and Pakistan, concluded in Switzerland Sunday, according to Iran’s Fars news agency. Qalibaf’s warning signals that Tehran will not be easily pressured, while Trump’s rhetoric suggests the US is willing to escalate.