Key Points and Summary – Iran’s Foreign Minister has issued a defiant response to President Trump calling Iranian leaders “stupid” for vowing to continue uranium enrichment.
-In a fiery social media post, Abbas Araghchi said Iran would not abandon its “homegrown and peaceful technology” simply because “bullying foreigners demand it.”
-He insisted that Iran’s nuclear “technology and know-how… CANNOT be destroyed by bombings,” even if its facilities are severely damaged.
-The defiant exchange makes it clear that Tehran intends to rebuild its nuclear program, regardless of Western pressure, setting the stage for an inevitable future crisis.
How Iran Reacted to Trump’s “Stupid” Comment
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to comments by U.S. President Donald Trump this week, doubling down on promises to re-establish its nuclear program despite pressure from Washington, Israel, and Europe to shut it down.
In a post on X, Araghchi reacted to Trump’s suggestion that Tehran must be “stupid” to continue to pursue its nuclear ambitions.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, President Trump slammed Iranian officials for refusing to commit to ending uranium enrichment in the country and vowed to prevent future attempts to rebuild its nuclear infrastructure.
“They still talk about enrichment,” Trump said. “Who would do that? You just came out of something that’s so bad, and they talk about, we want to continue enrichment…how stupid can you be to say that?”
Writing on X, Araghchi dismissed the president’s comments and the possibility of new Israeli or U.S. strikes.
In a lengthy post, Araghchi doubled down on claims that Iran’s nuclear program was primarily designed for medical research and civilian use.
“More than a million Iranians need medical radioisotopes produced by the Tehran Research Reactor, an American-supplied facility fuelled by 20%-enriched uranium. Iran also needs enrichment to fuel our nascent nuclear power reactors,” he said.
“No one in their right mind would abandon the fruits of tremendous investment in homegrown and peaceful technology which is saving lives—and simply because bulling [sic] foreigners demand it,” Abbas continued.
The Iranian official also condemned the U.S. president’s language, praising his people’s “7000 years of civilization” and promising that Iran will “never respond to the language of threat and intimidation.”
On the topic of future strikes against Iranian facilities, Abbas reiterated that Iran is willing to engage in diplomacy with the U.S., and insisted that “there is no ‘military option’” that will stop its program.
“The technology and know-how that our FORMIDABLE human resources have developed CANNOT be destroyed by bombings. Yes, our enrichment facilities are severely damaged, but our DETERMINATION IS NOT,” Abbas also said.
The Iran Crisis Isn’t Over
While the statement is unlikely to convince officials in Washington or Jerusalem that Iran has no intention of building a nuclear weapon, it does give us an idea of what to expect in the coming months and years.
Iranian officials have made it abundantly clear since Operation Midnight Hammer that its nuclear facilities will be restored or replaced, that uranium enrichment will begin again in the near future, and that United Nations atomic inspectors will have access to even less than they did before the war.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
The Best Tanks on Earth
AbramsX: The Tank the US Army Wants
