Iran's newly appointed defence minister threatens Washington

Iran and the U.S. are locked in a war of words again. Tehran warned Washington of enormous damage if it resumes the military action after President Donald Trump threatened new strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure. Iran's newly appointed defense minister, Mehrdad Akhlaghi Khatabchi, he has issued the warning on Sunday, immediately after Parliament approved his appointment. Local media reported that he told Trump to focus on getting American forces safely out of the region. He said, and I quote, if he drops a bomb, he should consider how many of his troops might have to be carried out in body bags. A veteran of Iran's aerospace and missile sector, Akhlaghi is under U.S. and European Union sanctions. This warning comes after Trump earlier threatened to target Pikquex Mountain, which is a heavily fortified underground facility near Iran's Natanz nuclear complex. The U.S. president had also left open the possibility of using the massive conventional bomb known as the MOAB or Mother of All Bombs. He has, however, ruled out using nuclear weapons or deploying U.S. ground troops. Meanwhile, Iran says it is preparing to counter a potential MOAB attack while still pairing those threats with a proposal to reopen one of the world's most critical oil routes. The Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araki, says Tehran has submitted a seven-day plan to Washington highlighting conditions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. If there is genuine sincerity on the American side, which there isn't, there is a very clear path to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. If they meet those conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will reopen on the sixth day and negotiations will resume on the seventh day. Some conditions include lifting of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, removing sanctions on Iranian oil exports and ending hostilities across regional fronts. Araki says Washington has submitted comments on the proposal, which Iran is now reviewing.