Iran warned the United States on Sunday that any renewed fighting could last longer than this year’s most intense phase, a day after President Donald Trump spoke of striking one or two more facilities. The report, carried by News.ro via AFP, cites Iranian state television.

Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said a new war “could last longer than the previous conflict” and that Trump “would not be in a position to dictate the timing or the conditions” of an end to hostilities. The remarks followed Trump’s Saturday comments at Mar-a-Lago that the United States could act “in 10 minutes” and his mention of “Pickaxe Mountain” (Mount Kolang), a suspected underground complex near Natanz according to U.S. intelligence assessments.

The fiercest phase of the confrontation, described in reporting as starting on 28 February with U.S.–Israeli strikes, left thousands of civilians dead over nearly 40 days of bombardment, according to those accounts. An April ceasefire and a June protocol broke down in summer; a relative calm has held since early September, though press reports raise the risk of a short, sharp campaign after Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections.

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei threatened on Saturday an “immediate, powerful response without geographic limits.” The Revolutionary Guards and the defence minister repeated similar warnings on Sunday. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, cited by Irna, said Tehran remains ready for “both defence and diplomacy,” amid Qatar-mediated talks.

Iran rejects nuclear-weapons accusations and asserts a right to civil nuclear work. Mutual threats are not the same as a decision to attack; negotiations remain open, and the United Arab Emirates stressed that another cycle of confrontation is not in the region’s interest.

Source: Iran warns a new war with the US could be “longer than the previous one” after Trump’s threats (News.ro); confirmation: Iran warns new war could last longer after Trump threatens strikes (Al Arabiya English)