Abbas Araghchi: the Islamic Republic has unfinished business with the US too

Abbas Araghchi, the Islamic Republic's foreign minister, replied to Donald Trump's warning in a message on X in the early hours of Monday, 19 October 2026, writing that the Islamic Republic too has "unfinished business" with the United States. The message came a few hours after the US president had said that if the Islamic Republic does not change course, Washington will finish the job.

In the message, Araghchi claimed that the last time the United States intended to "finish the job", the Islamic Republic emerged stronger than before, and he told Washington to try its luck again if it wishes. He also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging the United States into another war regardless of the consequences for Israel and for the US president.

Threats from IRGC and General Staff commanders

At the same time, Hossein Mohebbi, spokesman of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said in a message on X, in response to Israel's threat to attack Iran's energy facilities, that any attack on energy infrastructure will be answered and Israel will be turned into "scorched earth". He ended his message with the sentence: "The world will see what will happen." The reaction came after Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had said Israel is ready to resume attacks with full force and this time by targeting energy facilities.

Ali Abdollahi, head of the Islamic Republic's Armed Forces General Staff, said in a separate message that Tehran is waiting for decisions that he called "foolish" and warned that the next response will be "more devastating".

A new IRGC claim in the Strait of Hormuz and public reports from Konarak

In another statement on Sunday, 18 October, the IRGC Navy claimed that a tanker in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz had hit a sea mine, exploded and caught fire. The IRGC did not name the ship, give its flag or state the condition of the crew, and as of publication of this report no independent source has confirmed the claim. In recent days the IRGC had also several times reported supertankers hitting mines; CENTCOM has previously called some of those claims false.

In the early hours of Monday, citizens in Konarak, in Sistan and Baluchestan province, also reported hearing two explosions. The cause of the explosions is unclear and no official or independent source has given any explanation. Claims circulating on some social networks about a naval clash between the IRGC and the US Navy in the Arabian Sea have also not been confirmed so far by any official or independent source.

This wave of threats comes as the Islamic Republic faces economic recession under the pressure of the US naval blockade, CENTCOM says the IRGC can no longer afford to pay its forces, and US and Israeli officials have repeatedly spoken of readiness to resume attacks.

In a single night, the Islamic Republic's foreign minister and military commanders threatened the United States and Israel with a new war.