The first comment by Iran's new Defense Minister about "America's threats"... and a message to Trump

- The new Iranian Defense Minister, Mehrdad Akhlaqi, said that the Iranian Armed Forces have already put in place the necessary plans to confront what he described as American threats, in statements after he was granted confidence by the Iranian Parliament to officially assume his position. On Saturday, the official Iranian News Agency (IRNA) quoted Akhlaqi’s statements in which he said that “the necessary plans and measures to confront American threats have already been put in place,” adding that “if these threats turn from mere statements into actual measures, the consequences will be tangible.”

The Iranian minister continued his speech by sending a message to US President Donald Trump, stressing “the need to focus on the mechanisms for the safe withdrawal of American forces from the region,” and warned that “any military escalation will impose serious challenges related to the safety and security of these forces present there.” The US President said earlier this month that he does not intend to use nuclear weapons against Iran.

Trump added, during an interview with Newsmax: “I will not use nuclear weapons, we don’t need that.” Trump mentioned about the GBU-43/B bomb, known as the “MOAB,” or “Mother of All Bombs,” which is the largest non-nuclear bomb in the American arsenal: “It is not a nuclear bomb at all, it is just a very large bomb; it is like a miniature nuclear bomb, but the mother of all bombs is one big bomb, not a nuclear one.”

Trump's statements came after sources revealed to Ofoq News Network that the US military has prepared new plans to launch strikes, which may include using the "mother of all bombs" to target Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear facilities for the first time in the conflict, in the event that Trump issues an order to resume combat operations, whether before or after the midterm elections.