Iran Says World Will Be ‘Astonished’ by New Weapons as Trump Says He Is in ‘Deciding Mode’
TEHRAN / WASHINGTON — Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Monday that it would field previously unused weapons and hit new targets if the United States resumes major attacks, a day after President Donald Trump said he was in “deciding mode” on whether to escalate, squeeze Iran economically or pursue a deal.
IRGC spokesman Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi told Iranian media that any new U.S. “aggression” would bring “significant changes” in defense and counterattack. “Those changes include a shift in the geography of war, and a shift in weapons and military equipment,” he said. “We will bring new weapons with new capabilities into the battlefield, and the world will be astonished.” He added that Iran’s targets “are also no longer necessarily the same” and that “we have new targets that have not yet been struck.” Mohebbi did not name the weapons or locations. He said some systems were developed before and during the nearly seven-month war and would be used when Tehran judged it necessary. The Guards said they were prepared for a “prolonged war.”
Mohebbi also claimed U.S. forces had suffered a “historic and humiliating defeat” they would not admit, and that Iranian air defenses had destroyed an MQ-1 drone over the Strait of Hormuz. The United States has not publicly confirmed that claim. Iranian military command separately warned that a U.S. “mistake” would bring “continuous, effective and painful strikes” on American bases and interests in the region.
Trump told Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst on Sunday that “very big things” could happen “in the not too distant future” if Iran did not “behave.” He described three options: “wiping Iran out,” “letting them rot economically,” or “making a deal.” He added: “My question is, if and when do I blow the entire nation up?” He said he would “probably” be open to meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during this week’s U.N. General Assembly in New York. Days earlier he told Axios he faced a “big decision” on whether to “annihilate” the Iranian regime.
The exchange comes as the conflict has settled into an on-and-off stalemate after Trump initially predicted a short campaign. Iran has conveyed conditions through Qatar for talks and for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Oil markets eased Monday on hopes of diplomacy and some recovery in Saudi exports, even as Houthi attacks and shipping risks persist. World leaders gathering in New York are expected to confront the war, energy disruption and a possible meeting between Trump and Pezeshkian. Neither side has disclosed operational details that would independently verify Iran’s weapons claims or lock in Washington’s next step.
Iran Says World Will Be ‘Astonished’ by New Weapons; Trump in ‘Deciding Mode’
IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said Iran would field new weapons and hit unused targets if the U.S. attacks again. President Trump told Fox News he is weighing wiping Iran out, economic pressure or a deal ahead of the U.N. General Assembly.
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