Iran’s security chief Larijani slams Trump: 'War cannot be won with tweets, will make US admit its mistake'

Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani

• Iran warns US wars can't be ended quickly with rhetoric
• Iran denies US claims of mining the Strait of Hormuz
• Iran asserts self-defense, denies safe passage for aggressors

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Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani warned the United States that wars cannot be quickly resolved through rhetoric, saying Tehran would not back down until Washington acknowledged what he described as a grave miscalculation.

In a post on X, Larijani responded directly to comments by US President Donald Trump about securing a rapid victory in the ongoing conflict.

“Trump returned to say: ‘We must win this war quickly.’ But starting wars is an easy matter, whereas ending them does not happen with a few tweets,” Larijani wrote.

“We will not leave you until you admit your mistake and pay its price.”

In another message, he reiterated the same point, stressing that a swift outcome was unrealistic. “Trump says he is looking for a speedy victory. While starting a war is easy, it cannot be won with a few tweets. We will not relent until making you sorry for this grave miscalculation.”

The remarks came as Iran’s deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi outlined Tehran’s broader position on the conflict, saying Iran’s goal was to ensure such a confrontation would not happen again.

“We want to see that war is not going to be imposed again on Iran,” Takht-Ravanchi said in an interview with AFP in Tehran.

He pointed to a previous escalation between the sides, saying hostilities had resumed months after an earlier pause.

“When the war started last June, after 12 days there was so called cessation of hostilities... but after eight or nine months, they regrouped and they did it again,” he said, referring to the United States and Israel.

“We do not want to be treated like this again in the future.”

The current conflict erupted on February 28 when Israel and the United States carried out strikes on Iran that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggered a wider regional confrontation. Iran responded by striking Israel and targeting American interests across the Middle East.

Takht-Ravanchi said Tehran had already warned neighboring states about the consequences if Washington joined military action against Iran.

“Before the war started, on different occasions, we informed our neighbours that if America is engaged in aggression against Iran, all the US assets and all the US bases are legitimate targets for Iran,” he said.

“We are acting in self defence. We continue to act in self defence as long as necessary.”

The fighting has also had major global repercussions, particularly for energy markets. The International Energy Agency warned the war had produced the largest shock to oil supplies on record, with prices rising above $100 a barrel.

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil normally passes — has slowed dramatically following attacks on vessels.

Washington has accused Iran of attempting to mine the strait. Trump said US forces had targeted 28 Iranian mine-laying vessels.

Takht-Ravanchi rejected the allegation. “It is not true” that Iran was laying mines, he said.

“Within our territorial waters in the southern area near the Persian Gulf, we take precautionary measures to be prepared to protect our water and our homeland.”

He added that some countries had been allowed to move vessels through the strategic channel.

“Some countries have already talked to us about passing the strait and we have cooperated with them,” he said, though he did not name them.

However, he suggested countries involved in attacks on Iran should not expect safe transit. “As far as Iran is concerned we feel that those countries who have joined the aggression should not benefit from safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.”

According to Takht-Ravanchi, several “friendly countries” have contacted Tehran to explore ways to end the fighting.

“We are telling them the same thing, that we want the ceasefire to be part of an overall formula for ending the war altogether,” he said.

Despite the scale of the strikes, he dismissed suggestions that the conflict could topple Iran’s leadership.

“The Americans and the Israelis felt that in a matter of 24 or 48 hours, the whole system would collapse and that was not the case,” he said.

“The enemy is aware that this system is strong enough to stand on its feet.”