Iran threatens to 'rain down hell' if US resumes strikes

Iran's foreign minister has threatened to “rain down hell” if the United States resumes its attacks, issuing an ultimatum aimed at ending the eight-month war between the two countries. President Donald Trump answered with a warning of his own, saying American carrier groups in the region were “fully locked and loaded”, even as he insisted fresh strikes were “highly unlikely” if negotiations advance, Al Jazeera reported.

Abbas Araghchi delivered the threat in a post on X on Sunday, framing it as a choice for Washington.

“Our 2-day proposal stands: meet the requirements, including end to war on all fronts, and you will see results,” Araghchi wrote. “Or choose war, and see our alert and battle-hardened warriors rain down hell.”

Trump, speaking in a phone interview reported by CNN, said continued strikes “depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement”, covering Tehran's nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. “I would [continue], if necessary, but we hit them really hard,” he said. He claimed three US aircraft carriers were stationed in the region “fully locked and loaded”, and said 38 bridges in Iran were in American crosshairs and could be destroyed within an hour.

Iran's Foreign Ministry had earlier quoted Araghchi saying Tehran would “not go easy on American targets” in the region. The same morning, Iranian state media reported that an oil tanker caught fire after hitting a naval mine east of the strait, citing the navy, which said the ship's identification systems were switched off and it was travelling in a no-go zone. The account could not be independently verified.

The rhetoric was echoed by Brigadier-General Ali Belali, an adviser to the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Aerospace Force, who said on Telegram that any Iranian response would be “devastating and severe”. He said the armed forces had “upgraded our capabilities in the post-Ramadan War period” and secured weapons “for years to come”.

The exchange follows US midterm elections in which the Democratic Party won control of both chambers of Congress, defeating Trump's Republicans. Araghchi alleged the vote had delayed negotiations, with Trump having previously tied further strikes to the pace of talks. “It will take some time for things to settle down and for the atmosphere to become conducive to the mediators resuming their visits,” the foreign minister said. “We have to wait.” For shipping crews in the Gulf and mediators alike, the question now is whether the two-day proposal survives the wait.