Iran warns any new US aggression will be met with a 'stronger response'

Tehran (Web Desk): Iran has cautioned the United States (US) that any fresh military move against the country would be answered with a tougher and more aggressive response, even as signs of possible diplomacy continue to emerge between the two rivals.

???? "Any new aggression against Iran will be met with a stronger response and will make Trump even more ashamed." - Ebrahim Rezaei, Spokesperson for the Parliament's National Security Commission

— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) May 19, 2026

On Tuesday, Iranian parliamentary National Security Commission spokesman Ebrahim Rezaei said Tehran would react more strongly to any new attack.

In comments reported by state broadcaster IRIB on social media, he warned that the US must either pursue negotiations under conditions acceptable to Iran or be prepared to face the country’s missile power.

???? "The Americans must either surrender to diplomacy and our conditions, or surrender to the power of our missiles." - Ebrahim Rezaei, Spokesperson for the Parliament's National Security Commission

— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) May 19, 2026

At the same time, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stressed that Iran’s uranium enrichment programme is not open for negotiation. He maintained that nuclear enrichment is Iran’s legitimate national right and brushed aside international criticism regarding Tehran’s nuclear activities.

???? Baqaei, spokesperson Iran's FM: Iran's right to enrichment is not negotiable.

— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) May 19, 2026

The remarks followed statements made a day earlier by US President Donald Trump, who claimed he had stopped a planned strike on Iran after receiving what he described as a fresh peace initiative from Tehran.

Trump said the operation had merely been suspended and that American forces had still been directed to stay ready for a large-scale attack on short notice if talks failed to deliver a satisfactory agreement.

There had been no earlier public disclosure about the alleged strike, and it was still uncertain whether any concrete military planning had actually taken place. The latest strain in relations comes after weeks of confrontation triggered by US-Israeli air raids on Iranian sites in late February.

Speaking to journalists, Trump said he remained hopeful that a deal could be achieved to curb Iran’s nuclear activities and stop Tehran from developing nuclear weapons without the need for further conflict.

Trump, leaders from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had appealed to Washington to hold back military action, saying they believed a compromise acceptable to all parties in the region could still be reached. He did not, however, provide details of the proposed arrangement.

Iran later confirmed that its newest proposal had been sent to the US through Pakistan, which has recently been playing a mediating role between the two sides.