The latest
Iran’s foreign minister threatened to “school” Israel unless the U.S. reins in its ally, escalating a war of words just weeks after Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding to end hostilities. Araghchi’s threat, posted on X Wednesday, came in response to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz’s statement during a closed military briefing Monday that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has been “marked for death.” Israel isn’t actually planning to target Khamenei, according to the report — doing so would blow up the MoU and the negotiations underway.
Details
• Araghchi said the terms of the “Islamabad MoU are crystal clear and public for all to see,” claiming President Trump committed to “muzzling” Israel under the deal.
• “If they ignore their master, Iran will school them,” Araghchi said, in an apparent reference to Israel’s compliance with the agreement.
• He warned that any threat against Iran’s leadership would trigger an “immediate, powerful response.”
• Katz, in the same briefing, reaffirmed that Israel “will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons.”
• The MoU’s first of 14 points requires all parties to end military operations tied to the U.S.’s Operation Epic Fury, Israel’s Operation Roaring Lion, and Iranian and proxy strikes, and bars any side from threatening or using force against the other.
What to watch
Whether the war of words stays rhetorical depends on how Washington handles Iran’s demand that it rein in Israel. Both sides say they’re bound by the MoU, but the exchange shows how fragile the truce still is.
