"We Will Fire Back with Everything We Have"

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has issued his most explicit warning yet to the United States, framing Tehran’s response to mounting pressure as a matter of deterrence rather than rhetoric. Writing in an opinion article on The Wall Street Journal, Araghchi said Iran’s armed forces would respond decisively if attacked.

We have no qualms about firing back with everything we have!

Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi

The message came amid a violent domestic crackdown following nationwide protests and as Washington expanded military deployments across the Middle East.

The convergence of internal unrest and external signaling underscores how Tehran is seeking to raise the perceived costs of U.S. military action while portraying itself as acting defensively.

Araghchi argued that unrest inside Iran was being instrumentalized. On Jan. 12, he said nationwide protests were “deliberately turned into violence in order to provide a pretext for military intervention by the US.”

In the Wall Street Journal essay, Abbas insisted “the violent phase of the unrest lasted less than 72 hours,” while unverified videos circulating despite an internet shutdown appear to show live fire used against unarmed protesters.

He added, “This isn’t a threat, but a reality I feel I need to convey explicitly, because as a diplomat and a veteran, I abhor war.”

Military Signals and Escalation Control

The warning coincides with visible U.S. force movements. Trump is again weighing “decisive” military options against Iran after pulling back from strikes last week, the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group transited the Strait of Malacca and entered the Indian Ocean, placing it days away from the Middle East.

U.S. officials confirmed that fighter aircraft, including F-15E Strike Eagles, and additional air and missile defenses were moving into the region. According to the Wall Street Journal, deployments now include THAAD and Patriot systems, expanding both strike options and defenses against retaliation.

Iran’s threat implicitly references its missile inventory. During the 12-day war with Israel in June 2025, Iran relied on ballistic missiles while leaving much of its short-range arsenal unused. Analysts note those systems could target U.S. bases across the Persian Gulf, where travel restrictions have already been imposed on American diplomats in Kuwait and Qatar. Araghchi warned that an “all-out confrontation will certainly be ferocious” and would “drag on far, far longer” than timelines promoted by Iran’s adversaries, potentially affecting “ordinary people around the globe.”

Protests, Casualties & Competing Narratives

The domestic backdrop remains severe. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency puts the protest death toll at at least 4,519 people, with more than 26,300 arrested since demonstrations began.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei acknowledged “several thousand” deaths on Saturday, blaming the United States. He accused the United States of orchestrating unrest in Iran, calling it an “American sedition” planned by Washington to “swallow Iran,” arguing that the policy transcends any single administration. He also denounced the U.S. president as a “criminal,” blaming him for casualties, damage, and hostile rhetoric against the Iranian nation.

Regional spillover has also intensified. An Iranian Kurdish separatist group in northern Iraq said Iran struck one of its bases near Irbil, about 320 kilometers north of Baghdad, killing at least one fighter. Iran did not acknowledge the attack. Kurdish groups have long operated from Iraq’s semi-autonomous region, and Tehran has previously targeted them during periods of unrest.

International Pushback and Alliance Strain

The crisis has drawn sharp reactions abroad. In the European Parliament, Spain’s Member of European Parliament Irene Montero accused Europe of complicity, asking, “Do you still believe that by helping the United States to commit its crimes, we will be safe?” She warned that “bombing and sanctioning Iran will not bring freedom to women” and called for Europe to “leave NATO now.” While her remarks sit outside official EU policy, they reflect growing unease over escalation risks.

Washington, meanwhile, is again considering “decisive” military action, according to the Wall Street Journal as it moves its military assets to the region. The expanding U.S. posture, an aircraft carrier, fighter jets, and layered missile defenses, all signal readiness while stopping short of a declared course.

Iran’s message is seemingly calibrated to that ambiguity: a direct warning designed to deter attack, anchored in missile capability, regional reach, and the specter of a prolonged conflict.