Iran’s Foreign Minister Responds To Trump: If He Seeks Escalation, It’s ‘what He Will Get’

Iran is walking back its attempts to lessen tensions with neighbors in the Middle East. Blame President Donald Trump, a senior diplomat said on Saturday.

Tehran’s “openness to de-escalation within our region provided that our neighbours' airspace, territory, and waters are not used to attack the Iranian People was almost immediately killed by President Trump's misinterpretation of our capabilities, determination and intent,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Saturday in a statement.

"If Mr. Trump seeks escalation, it is precisely what our Powerful Armed forces have long prepared for, and what he will get," he added.

The dustup came just hours after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a prerecorded broadcast, apologized for striking Middle Eastern neighbors and said it would stop firing at countries that weren’t aiding the U.S. and Israel in their joint operation against Tehran. But Pezeshkian also said his country would not offer an unconditional surrender to the United States, calling the prospect a “dream that they should take to their grave.”

Trump then lashed out at Iran’s leadership in a post on Truth Social, ripping its “bad behavior” and announcing that “today Iran will be hit very hard.”

Aragachi faulted Trump for the possibility of increased fighting, saying in his post, “Responsibility for any intensification of Iran's exercise of self-defense will lie squarely with the U.S. Administration.”

The Iranian foreign minister also pointed to the war’s growing unpopularity in the U.S., goading Trump over its cost and the increased prices for Americans at the gas pump. Gas prices rose by 32 cents per gallon on Friday compared to the week prior, before the Pentagon launched its first strikes in tandem with Israel.

"This is a war of choice pursued by a small cabal of 'Israel Firsters', and 'Israel First' always means 'America Last,'" Araghchi said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.