What We Know About Iran's Warning It Is 'Fully Prepared for War'

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that Iran is "fully prepared" for war with the United States to resume, even as he insisted diplomacy remains open, in an interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press." The remarks came after President Donald Trump publicly rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though Araghchi said that rejection has not yet been delivered to Tehran through official channels.

What did Araghchi say about Iran being 'fully prepared' for war?

Asked by moderator Kristen Welker about a Wall Street Journal report that Trump could resume bombing Iran after the U.S. midterm elections, Araghchi told NBC News, "We are fully prepared for the time for the war to be resumed, and I repeat, we stand firm in the face of any new aggression, even if it comes to a doomsday war." He added that Iran "stand[s] ready for diplomacy" and that "it is up to President Trump to choose," according to the NBC News transcript of the interview.

What is the Strait of Hormuz proposal Trump rejected?

Iran offered a plan last week to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume normal maritime passage through the oil chokepoint within seven days, according to NBC News. The proposal was conveyed to the U.S. through mediator Qatar on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Trump said Saturday he had turned the offer down, telling reporters, "I rejected their deal. They want to make a deal where they open the strait immediately because they're losing so badly," NBC News reported.

Araghchi told Welker that despite Trump's public comments, the rejection had not been officially communicated to Iran through mediators as of Sunday. He said Iran remains willing to reopen the strait as part of a broader agreement, on the condition that "we want our monies, our assets, which are illegally frozen, to be released. We want to be able to sell our oil."

"We are fully prepared for the time for the war to be resumed, and I repeat, we stand firm in the face of any new aggression, even if it comes to a doomsday war." — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, NBC News' "Meet the Press"

Why does Iran say the U.S. violated the deal first?

Araghchi said the conditions Iran is now demanding are "not new" and reflect commitments the U.S. already made in a memorandum of understanding the two countries signed in June that laid out a temporary ceasefire, according to NBC News. That agreement collapsed within days after both sides exchanged fresh strikes. Araghchi framed the June U.S. strikes on Iran as the initial violation of that arrangement, arguing there is no reason Tehran should return to diplomacy on terms other than those already agreed to.

By the numbers

• 7 days: the timeline Iran proposed for reopening the Strait of Hormuz to normal maritime traffic, per the plan relayed through Qatar.
• June 2026: when U.S. strikes on Iran and the collapse of the bilateral memorandum of understanding occurred, within days of it being signed, according to NBC News.

What happens next in U.S.-Iran diplomacy?

As of Sunday's interview, no formal U.S. response to Iran's Hormuz proposal had reached Tehran through Qatar despite Trump's public rejection, Araghchi told NBC News. That gap between public statements and official diplomatic channels leaves open the question of whether the two sides are negotiating through backchannels even as both governments make hardline statements for domestic audiences. The Wall Street Journal report cited in the NBC News interview — that Trump could seek to resume bombing after the midterms — has not been independently addressed by the White House in the material reviewed for this report.

What to watch

• Whether Qatar delivers an official U.S. response to Iran's Strait of Hormuz proposal, and how Tehran replies.
• Any comment from the Trump administration on the Wall Street Journal report regarding a possible post-midterm resumption of strikes.
• Whether Iran's conditions — the release of frozen assets and the ability to sell oil — become a formal counteroffer.
• Signs of movement on the collapsed June memorandum of understanding, which both sides blame the other for breaching.

Why does this matter to global oil markets?

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's key routes for oil shipments, and Iran's offer to guarantee normal passage within seven days was tied directly to sanctions relief on its frozen assets and oil exports, according to NBC News. Any renewed disruption to the strait, or a shift back toward military conflict, would affect shipping through a corridor already strained by the collapse of the June ceasefire agreement.