Iran warns US over ‘contradictory behavior’ after new sanctions

Videos circulating online show a group of people in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas holding a candlelight vigil in remembrance of those who died in the explosion at Rajaei port.

A senior Iranian cleric warned on Thursday that the Islamic Republic would not be intimidated by foreign threats, saying "playing with Iran is playing with the lion’s tail," Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA) reported.

Ahmad Khatami, a hardline cleric and Tehran’s interim Friday prayer leader, made the comments during a speech in South Khorasan province. Referring to past pressure from the United States, he said Iran had chosen its own course.

“Trump wrote letters saying: either negotiate or be bombed,” Khatami said. “Iran chose a third way — indirect negotiations — and that shows our strength.”

He also accused Western powers of trying to drive a wedge between the Iranian people and the Islamic system through a cultural and psychological campaign, but said those efforts had failed. “Iran is not an easy bite for global arrogance,” he added.

Iran’s top security official said Tehran maintains transparency with its strategic partners, including China, during indirect negotiations with the United States, Iranian state media reported on Thursday.

Ali Akbar Ahmadian, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, made the comments during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the BRICS security summit in Brazil, according to IRNA.

“Iran has clear principles and positions in its talks with the US and always informs its strategic allies of developments in these negotiations,” Ahmadian said.

A senior Iranian cleric said Wednesday that Iran’s adversaries are trying to weaken the country by pushing for its disarmament, but that its armed forces remain fully prepared to respond to any threat, state media reported.

“Enemies seek to disarm us,” said Abdollah Hajji Sadeghi, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s representative in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “But to their dismay, our missile, drone, and conventional forces are at the peak of readiness.”

Speaking at a military ceremony in Tehran, Hajji Sadeghi said Iran’s military, including the IRGC and Basij militia, was prepared to respond with force if ordered. “If a command is issued, our response will leave the enemy deeply regretful,” he said, according to IRNA.

A senior Iranian lawmaker cautioned European nations on Wednesday that Tehran would take retaliatory measures if its interests are disregarded in ongoing nuclear negotiations.​

"If Europe ignores Iran's interests, we will make decisions that will harm them," said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a member of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, as reported by state media.​

Boroujerdi criticized European countries for what he described as a passive role in the indirect talks between Iran and the United States concerning Tehran's nuclear program. He expressed particular concern over recent statements from French officials advocating for the activation of the "snapback" mechanism, which could reinstate United Nations sanctions on Iran.​

"Europe's inaction and France's remarks about reimposing sanctions lack logic," Boroujerdi said. "We have adhered to international regulations and are advancing our nuclear program based on global treaties and the principles of the International Atomic Energy Agency."​

The lawmaker also suggested that the United States may prefer to exclude European involvement in the negotiations. "I don't believe America is keen on Europe's direct participation in the talks, as their proposal was for bilateral discussions," he added.​

Iran is scheduled to meet with the European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal—Britain, France, and Germany—in Rome on Friday, ahead of a new round of US-Iranian negotiations set for Saturday.​

France warned on Monday that it would reimpose sanctions on Iran if European security interests were not guaranteed under the expiring nuclear deal.

The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) aimed to limit Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. However, the agreement has been under strain since the United States withdrew from it in 2018, leading to renewed tensions and ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach a new deal.