Updated

Senior Iranian officials, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, Army spokesperson Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia, and the Supreme National Security Council secretary, issued a wave of statements on October 22-23 warning the United States of serious consequences from any war with Iran and insisting Tehran will not negotiate until Washington takes trust-building steps. Iran's UN envoy called on the United Nations to intervene to stop what it calls an aggressive US naval blockade, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged European countries to condemn US-Israeli military aggression. Officials framed Washington as the aggressor posing as victim, with Qalibaf urging US decision-makers to break free from a "manufactured matrix," and Iran's ambassador to Norway said Tehran is not seeking war but is fully prepared to defend itself. A parliamentary security official separately warned that any new hostile action would draw a more painful response, underscoring Tehran's continued defiance amid the standoff with Washington.