Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, reacted this Wednesday (8) to new threats from the USA, after President Donald Trump stated that he considers the ceasefire to be over and promised to attack the country tonight "with great force". In a post on the social network X, the Iranian foreign minister praised the people of his country and issued a warning:
"Addressing the civilized and courageous nation of Iran with offensive language does not diminish its greatness. Iranians are known for their civility, culture and strong moral values. We do not respond to vulgarity with vulgarity, but with actions: with courage and great bravery." The statement is also a response to the tone used by Trump, who called Iran's leaders "scum" and "crazy". "I don't want to deal with them, they are led by sick people and they are cruel and violent people," said the US president in the morning. 'Big attack'
Earlier, Trump had announced that he would launch a "major attack" against Iran on Wednesday night. The statement was given shortly before a meeting at the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit in Türkiye. "I'll give you a little warning: we're going to hit them hard tonight," he told reporters. "If necessary, we will cut the electricity system and water treatment plants, but we don't want that," he added. Throughout the morning, Trump made contradictory statements about the conflict: he even stated that the peace agreement signed with Tehran was "over" and that he no longer wanted dialogue. Shortly afterwards, however, the Republican toned down and said he was "not sure if the agreement will hold." Strait of Hormuz threatened
Iran has said it will close the Strait of Hormuz if further attacks occur against the country, according to Iranian broadcaster Press TV. The information, according to the TV, comes from a security source who spoke anonymously and also stated that Tehran will attack "enemy" targets in a ratio of at least two to one, if the threats made by United States President Donald Trump during the NATO summit come true. The Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane through which 20% of all world oil exports pass, has reopened following the signing of a draft understanding between Iran and the US last month. Kharg Island
Trump also revealed on Wednesday that Kharg Island, which concentrates around 90% of Iranian oil exports, was one of the targets hit by the US attacks on Tuesday (7). The Republican, however, ordered that oil reservoirs not be reached. "We attacked the island of Kharg yesterday, and I said: 'Don't touch the oil', because we might take the island and there's nothing they can do about it," he declared. The US and Iran are officially in the midst of a ceasefire after signing a preliminary peace agreement in June. However, they exchanged attacks again. On Tuesday night, US Central Command launched an offensive against Iran in response to attacks on commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Iran said the US strikes were a "clear violation" of the peace agreement and launched retaliatory strikes against US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait in the early hours of Wednesday. Both affected Arab countries are home to Washington's military bases: Bahrain is home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet, while Kuwait serves as headquarters for US Army forces in the region. The two governments issued missile warnings to the population early in the morning.