Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi vows to fight on as Trump declares war ‘very complete’

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that Tehran was prepared to continue missile attacks for as long as necessary and ruled out negotiations with the United States, directly contradicting President Donald Trump's assertion that the war was "very complete, pretty much" and running "far ahead of schedule."

Araghchi told PBS News that talks with Washington were no longer on the agenda. Trump, speaking separately, said Iran had "no navy, no air force, no communications" and that its missile capability had been reduced to roughly 10% of pre-war levels, with drone launch capacity cut by 83%. U.S. forces have struck more than 5,000 Iranian targets since the conflict began on February 28.

Trump, who originally estimated the operation would take four to five weeks, said it was now ahead of that timeline. He warned that "if they do anything bad, that would be the end of Iran."Also Read: America could be the unexpected economic winner of the Iran war


On the question of leadership, Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei son of assassinated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the country's new supreme leader. Trump dismissed any prospect of outreach, saying: "I have no message for him. None whatsoever."

Trump's Monday assessment

At a press conference at his Doral resort on Monday, Trump told reporters the U.S. was "achieving major strides toward completing our military objective" and framed the conflict as a "little excursion" undertaken to "get rid of some evil." When asked if the war would be over that week, he said "No," but added, "Very soon."

Hours later, speaking to Republican lawmakers, he struck a different tone: "We've already won in many ways, but we haven't won enough," pledging to "go forward more determined than ever to achieve ultimate victory." The Department of Defense, posting on X the same afternoon, declared: "We have Only Just Begun to Fight" and "no mercy."

The Strait of Hormuz remains a flashpoint. Commercial shipping through the waterway has largely halted since the war began, pushing benchmark oil prices briefly past $100 a barrel. Also Read: Iran says to 'determine the end of war', vows to ⁠not ⁠allow 'one litre ​of oil' to be exported if US, Israeli strikes continue

Trump said the strait was currently open but that he was "thinking about taking it over." Options under consideration to ease energy markets include waiving oil sanctions, providing naval escorts for tankers, tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and suspending the federal gas tax.

Trump confirmed discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin on oil sanctions, with the Treasury Department already permitting Indian refiners to purchase additional Russian crude. Trump said oil prices had gone "artificially up" and that bringing them down remained a priority.