Iran adviser warns US to accept Tehran’s terms or face consequences

Mohsen Rezaei, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has warned that Washington will either face a “hard slap” or be forced to accept Tehran’s terms, accusing the United States of systematically undermining diplomacy and violating ceasefire commitments.

Speaking to the national broadcaster late on Thursday, Rezaei, also a member of the Expediency Council, outlined what he described as a pattern of American “betrayal of diplomacy”, which he said was now in its third phase, News.Az reports, citing Iran’s English-language Press TV.

“The first betrayal came during the 12-day war and the second during the Ramadan war,” he said, referring to what Press TV described as unprovoked conflicts involving the US and Israel against Iran in June 2025 and February 2026.

The third, he said, was the most serious: one day before a two-week ceasefire was due to expire, the United States imposed a naval blockade. “That is a declaration of war,” Rezaei said. “It is a betrayal of diplomacy.”

Rezaei also accused the United States of failing to honour commitments on the Lebanon front, adding to what he described as a growing list of violations.

He suggested that the door to talks had not been fully closed, but pointed instead to what he called structural dishonesty in negotiations. Washington, he said, claims it will lift the blockade if the Strait of Hormuz is reopened, despite the strait remaining open to commercial shipping.

“So why aren’t they lifting the blockade now?” he asked.

As a further confidence-building measure, he said the United States should release at least $24 billion in frozen Iranian funds.

“The Strait of Hormuz is a powerful instrument of deterrence for us,” he said. “The enemy must either come to its senses after a hard slap, or it must wisely accept Iran’s conditions.”

Rezaei also suggested that US President Donald Trump’s approach would not be sustainable. He said the US president was caught between two contradictory objectives: easing tensions to stabilise the American economy while maintaining a posture of military pressure against Iran.

“He has failed to implement this strategy correctly,” Rezaei said, adding that the approach had a limited lifespan and “will not produce results for long”.

Turning to Lebanon, Rezaei said it was a general principle that a state which does not support its allies loses credibility.

He said Hezbollah had “made great sacrifices” in the recent conflict and remains an ally of Tehran. “We support Hezbollah and we stand firmly by our commitment,” he added.

He further stated that when Israel threatened Beirut and the Dahiyeh suburb earlier this week, Iranian missiles were already prepared to strike targets in what he described as the north of the occupied territories.

“We warn this ominous regime to leave Lebanon,” he said, adding that Lebanon would be an integral part of any agreement or ceasefire.

Iran has consistently maintained that any durable end to the conflict must include all fronts, including Lebanon.

News.Az