'Ready to respond immediately,' Iran warns, as U.S. naval buildup reaches region

Iran’s armed forces are prepared to “immediately and powerfully” respond to any U.S. attack, Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said, as American military assets arrived in the Middle East amid renewed tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program.

“Our brave Armed Forces are prepared – with their fingers on the trigger – to immediately and powerfully respond to ANY aggression against our beloved land, air and sea,” Araghchi wrote on X on Wednesday (28 January).

He added that lessons from the 12-day conflict with Israel and the U.S. in June “have enabled us to respond even more strongly, rapidly and profoundly.”

At the same time, Araghchi reiterated Iran’s commitment to a “mutually beneficial, fair and equitable NUCLEAR DEAL – on equal footing, and free from coercion, threats, and intimidation,” emphasising that Tehran has never sought nuclear weapons.

“Such weapons have no place in our security calculations,” he wrote.

The warning followed a series of statements by U.S. President Donald Trump, who described a “massive armada” heading toward Iran that is “ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary.”

Trump urged Iran to negotiate “a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties,” citing last summer’s attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities and threatening that “the next attack will be far worse.”

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The U.S. naval buildup includes the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by three destroyers armed with Tomahawk missiles, adding approximately 5,000 troops to an already robust American presence of more than 30,000 personnel across the Middle East, including at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

The USS Abraham Lincoln is the first U.S. carrier to operate in the region since last summer.

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Araghchi denied any request for new talks with Washington but confirmed contact with “various intermediaries.” “Negotiations cannot take place under threats, and any talks must be conducted in conditions where threats and excessive demands are set aside,” he said.

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told state-aligned Tasnim News Agency on Thursday that Tehran is “ready for sincere and genuine negotiations with America” but warned that while Trump “may be able to start a war,” he cannot foresee how it will end.

The renewed tensions centre on Iran’s nuclear programme, its ballistic missile capabilities, and its support for regional proxy forces – long-standing concerns for the U.S., Israel, and their regional partners.

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News Politics Iran United States Tehran Washington military threats Maritime Armada Middle East