Iran Told Trump It Wants Peace, Won’t Back Down Against Threats

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Photographer: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images

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Iran warned against any military aggression while reiterating its commitment to regional peace and a civilian nuclear program in its official response to a recent letter by US President Donald Trump, a senior Iranian military official said.

Trump last month told Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a letter that his country had two months to reach a new nuclear agreement or face possible military action. In his reply, Khamenei made clear that Iran “won’t start a war, but will respond to any threat with full force,” the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported, citing Major-General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces.