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Trump insults, Araghchi replies
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would respond to US President Donald Trump’s derogatory remarks with “action” rather than words, after Trump used harsh language about Iran while speaking on the margins of the NATO summit in Ankara.
“Iran says it does not answer 'vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action' after Trump remarks - 'Addressing the Civilized and Courageous Nation of Iran with derogatory language does not diminish its Greatness,' says Iran's top diplomat Serdar Dincel 08 July 2026•Update: 08 July 2026 İSTANBUL Iran does not respond to "vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday”
Araghchi wrote on X, “We do not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action: fearlessly and with great valor,” and he said addressing the “Civilized and Courageous Nation of Iran” with derogatory language would not diminish Iran’s greatness.
The exchange followed Trump’s claim that the ceasefire agreement with Iran was effectively “over” for him, while he also said he did not expect fighting to resume.
In the same reporting, Trump said, “I don't think it's going to start again. I think it's going to go very quickly,” adding that “They hit a couple of ships, and so we hit them much harder.”
NATO summit rhetoric and threats
At the NATO summit in Türkiye’s capital Ankara, Trump warned Washington would “probably” hit Iran again on Wednesday night after overnight US strikes, saying, “We hit them very hard last night, very, very. Probably hit them hard again tonight.”
Trump also said, “I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum,” and Araghchi responded on X that Tehran does not answer insults with rhetoric but with decisive measures.
The BBC reported that Araghchi warned that any attempt to block Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz would “increase tensions” in the Middle East, and he urged parties to “commit to the memorandum of understanding and not let it deviate from its course.”
In the BBC’s account of the broader confrontation, Trump warned on Saturday that Iran “will disappear” if the United States finds itself “forced” to resume the war, accusing Tehran of violating the ceasefire.
The BBC also described how the United States launched its first strikes on Iran since a memorandum of understanding signed on June 17, and it said the strikes targeted “multiple sites” in Iran in response to an Iranian drone attack on the tanker “Kiko.”
Strait of Hormuz and talks
Beyond the verbal clash, the BBC reported that Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said it is important to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift the American naval blockade imposed on Iran, while he added that Iraq does not support expanding the war to Gulf states or attacking Iran.
“Any attempt to thwart Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz will increase tensions in the Middle East, Kuwait says as it announces it will confront the attacks”
Araghchi told a joint press conference in Baghdad that “any attempt to adopt new arrangements or depart from what the Islamic Republic of Iran is doing will only complicate the situation” and would delay reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
In parallel, Sky News Arabia reported that Araghchi said negotiations for a final agreement between Tehran and Washington would not begin if American threats continued, writing on X: “The negotiations on the final agreement will not begin if the threats continue. Respect your signature.”
The same Sky News Arabia reporting said Trump threatened to “end the mission” if no agreement is reached, and it quoted him saying, “Either we reach an agreement or we end the mission. Well, it won’t be hard to end the mission.”
The ANI and other coverage also tied the rhetoric to military posture, with Trump saying he was “reconsidering diplomatic engagement with Tehran” and stating, “Let's just finish the job.”
