'Fingers On The Trigger': Iran Warns Of Immediate Retaliation To Any US Military Action

Last Updated:January 29, 2026, 07:31 IST

Iran warned its forces have their “fingers on the trigger” and would respond forcefully to any US attack, while also signalling openness to a new nuclear deal.

File photos of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei/Donald Trump (AP)

Iran’s Foreign Minister has warned that Tehran’s forces have their “fingers on the trigger" and are ready to respond “immediately and forcefully" to any US military action, even as he signalled openness to negotiations on the country’s nuclear programme.

Abbas Araghchi struck a dual tone in public statements on Wednesday, coupling stark military warnings with language mirroring President Donald Trump’s call for talks to avert escalation.

In a post on X, Araghchi said, “Our brave Armed Forces are prepared – with their fingers on the trigger – to immediately and powerfully respond to any aggression against our beloved land, air, and sea."

“Iran had always welcomed a “mutually beneficial, fair and equitable nuclear deal – on equal footing, and free from coercion, threats, and intimidation – which ensures Iran’s rights to peaceful nuclear technology, and guarantees no nuclear weapons."

“Such weapons have no place in our security calculations and we have never sought to acquire them," he added, restating Tehran’s long-standing position that its nuclear programme is civilian in nature, a claim Western governments dispute.

HARDLINE WARNINGS AND US THREATS

Other senior Iranian figures used far more confrontational language.

Ali Shamkani, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned on X that “a limited strike is an illusion."

“Any military action, from America, from any origin and at any level, will be considered the start of war, and its response will be immediate, all-out and unprecedented, targeting the heart of Tel Aviv and all supporters of the aggressor," Shamkani wrote.

US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said a “massive armada" of US naval vessels was heading toward waters off Iran and ready “to rapidly fulfil its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary."

After the remarks, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran’s leadership was at its weakest point.

At the same time, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz predicted that the Islamic Republic’s “days are numbered" following this month’s deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.

France and Germany have also backed a push for the EU to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps IRGC a terrorist organisation.

The force is already listed as such by the US and Canada, but not yet by the EU or the UK, according to AFP.

Protests erupted in Iran late December and peaked on January 8 and 9, with a rights group saying more than 6,200 people were killed.

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