Iran’s chief negotiator 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 US President Donald Trump, saying Iran's armed forces are "ready to respond" to American threats.

In a post on US social media platform 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.

He added that US officials "should be cautious in their statements," warning that "our armed forces are fully prepared to respond in a different way."

"Whatever they say, we are the ones who will act," Qalibaf said.

Earlier on Sunday, Trump urged Iran to "immediately stop their highly paid proxies in Lebanon from causing trouble," or Washington will hit Tehran "very hard again."

"If they don't, we'll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

According to Fox News, Trump also spoke with Iranians overnight and warned that if they close the Strait of Hormuz, "you won't have a country."

"You won't even make it back to your f----- country."

"We may take over the Strait, if we have to," Trump said.

He said that the US could become the "Guardian Angel" of the Strait of Hormuz and take 20% of the oil. "If they don't make a deal, we'll collect tolls," the US president added.

In the interview with Fox News, Trump said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has insisted that Iran maintain its right to enrich uranium, "better watch his mouth."

"He better shape up or we'll take over the rest of the country," Trump said.

The first round of four-party talks involving Iran and the US, with mediation by Qatar and Pakistan, concluded in Switzerland Sunday, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported, citing a source familiar with the Iranian negotiating team.