Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has reacted to US President Donald Trump's threat to use frozen Iranian assets to pay for damage to ships and cargo in and around the Persian Gulf.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said any future damage to "Ships, Cargo, or anything related thereto" would be compensated using Iranian assets held under US control.
"Please let this statement serve to represent, until further notice, that from this point forth, any and all damages done to Ships, Cargo, or anything related thereto, will be paid for by Iranian Money that the United States has in its possession, and controls," the US president wrote.
Responding in a post on X on Friday, Araqchi warned that such a move would undermine international norms governing state assets.
“Seizing another nation's assets to pay for unrelated future claims is an incendiary precedent,” he said.
“Those who celebrate or profit from such funds should remember: once governments normalize confiscation, no one's assets are safe. Ensuing chaos will not be pretty or peaceful,” the top Iranian diplomat said.
The exchange came as the US carried out a 13th consecutive night of military strikes against Iran.
The US military has been conducting waves of deadly aerial assaults on Iran, targeting civilian sites in a blatant war crime.
In response, Iranian Armed Forces launched heavy reprisal attacks against strategic American targets across West Asia.
The US and the Israeli regime waged their illegal war of aggression against Iran on February 28. However, forty days later, on April 8, the enemies were forced to accept a ceasefire amid Iran’s brave resistance and successful retaliatory operations.
On June 17, Tehran and Washington signed the Pakistan-brokered Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to end all hostilities and prepare for further negotiations.
However, Washington violated all provisions of the understanding, prompting Iran to deliver a firm response.