Iran’s Araghchi says U.S. bases will be targeted and claims military is fully prepared for war
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran will target U.S. bases and American targets if war breaks out, insisting Iran’s armed forces are more prepared than ever and framing strikes on U.S. facilities on friendly states’ soil as unavoidable.
Iran’s foreign minister has issued a stark warning that U.S. bases across the region would be targeted in any war, while insisting that Iran’s forces have upgraded their capabilities and are ready for a major conflict.
In a series of statements, Abbas Araghchi said Iran has no intention of targeting friendly countries in the region but drew a line at American facilities on their territory. He said there can be no compromise over U.S. bases and that Iran will certainly target them, as well as American targets more broadly.
Araghchi argued that if missiles or projectiles sometimes deviate from their course or go out of control, that can happen in any war. He maintained that Iran does not aim at its friends, and blamed the presence of American bases on their territory for any incidental harm.
He also said Iran’s recent actions have focused on U.S. bases that, in his words, are unfortunately located on the territory of friendly states, rather than on those states themselves. He accused some regional countries of having encouraged the United States to attack Iran in the past and said he hopes they have learned from those experiences.
Araghchi warned that if Iran is attacked, it will not simply watch events unfold without responding, and called on regional governments to persuade Washington not to begin another war.
On Iran’s military readiness, he said the country is prepared for any scenario and more prepared than ever. He described efforts to modernize weapons, address weaknesses, add strengths and test new systems, and voiced confidence that if war breaks out, the Americans will not achieve their objectives.
Araghchi also referred to Mojtaba Khamenei’s role, saying Khamenei is actively working, has high morale, follows developments in the country closely and makes decisions that reach officials in writing. He said no images or speeches from Mojtaba Khamenei are broadcast mainly for security reasons, citing enemies who seek assassinations and previous wars in which Iranian leaders faced such risks. He said special security protocols have been put in place and must be followed.
For U.S. partners hosting American forces, Araghchi’s framing implies their territory would become a battleground in the event of a wider clash, even as Iran stresses it doesn’t view them as enemies.
Practical signs of how seriously these remarks are being taken would include visible adjustments to U.S. air and missile defenses at regional bases, fresh consultations between Washington and host governments about risk management, and whether senior Iranian figures repeat or soften this language in future public appearances.
Sources
- OSINT