Hardline influencer warns against possible US strike on Iran

Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Monday addressed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on X, accused Western governments of “hypocrisy” for not condemning US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s secured nuclear facilities.

"The hypocrisy is obvious. Open attacks by the United States and the Israeli regime on Iran’s secured nuclear facilities do not provoke condemnation, but rather excuses and justifications. Yet when a supposed false-flag operation takes place—one whose authorship even the UAE has refused to officially attribute to Iran—those same voices suddenly invoke the solemn language of “international law” and “regional security," Baghaei said.

Mohsen Rezaee, a military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader and former IRGC commander said on Monday that Iran would compel its adversaries into “retreat and surrender.”

“It sets a deadline for a military strike and then cancels it itself, with the vain hope of making the Iranian nation and officials surrender. The iron fist of the powerful armed forces and the great Iranian nation will force them to retreat and surrender,” he posted on X, referencing President Trump’s earlier post on Truth Social.

The White House said on Monday that Iran must surrender its enriched uranium stockpile as part of any agreement with Washington, warning Tehran that President Donald Trump “does not bluff” and retains all military options if negotiations fail.

“This enriched uranium that they possess, they can’t keep it,” White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told Fox News, calling the issue one of Trump’s “red lines” in talks with Tehran.

“President Trump has been very clear that enriched uranium must be turned over,” Kelly said. “He does not bluff.”

She said Iran had been “decimated militarily,” “strangled economically” and left “more isolated than ever before,” arguing Tehran should “get serious and make a deal with the United States before it’s too late.”

Kelly also warned that the US military posture remained unchanged despite the current pause in hostilities, saying Washington still had “all of the same military assets in place” as before Operation Epic Fury and other recent operations targeting Iran’s military infrastructure.

“If he feels that the Iranians are not negotiating in good faith, surely he’s going to make any decision that he feels is best for U.S. national security,” she said.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he called off a planned military attack on Iran scheduled for Tuesday after the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates urged him to hold off as “serious negotiations” were underway.

Trump said Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed had asked him to delay the attack because they believed a deal could be reached that would be “very acceptable” to the United States, the Middle East and beyond.

“This Deal will include, importantly, NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!” Trump said.

Trump said that, out of respect for the three Persian Gulf leaders, he had instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Daniel Caine and the US military not to carry out the scheduled attack.

But he warned that the order could be reversed quickly if talks fail.

“I have further instructed them to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached,” Trump said.

“Under no circumstances will (Iran) retreat from the legal rights of the people and the country,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on X, referring to Iran’s position in talks with the United States.

“Dialogue does not mean surrender,” Pezeshkian added.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran enters into dialogue with dignity, authority, and the preservation of the nation’s rights,” he said.