Iran missiles ‘in launchers, ready to strike US positions’

Tehran state media warned the US and its allies would ‘pay a heavy price’ after Donald Trump threatened to bomb Iran if it persists in developing nuclear weapons.

Iran claims its missiles are loaded and ready to launch.

Iran‘s military has reportedly loaded missiles into launchers across the country ready to strike US positions, after Donald Trump threatened the country would be bombed if it persists in developing nuclear weapons

The Tehran Times – regarded as a voice of the Iranian regime – posted on X that the country’s missiles are “loaded onto launchers in all underground missile cities and are ready for launch.”

“Opening the Pandora’s box will come at a heavy cost for the US government and its allies,” the post added.

#EXCLUSIVE
Information received by the Tehran Times indicates that Iran's missiles are loaded onto launchers in all underground missile cities and are ready for launch.

Opening the Pandora's box will come at a heavy cost for the U.S. government and its allies. pic.twitter.com/IR6YsxclYP

— Tehran Times (@TehranTimes79) March 30, 2025

The newspaper reported the missiles had the “capability to strike US-related positions, amid ongoing threats of military action from President Donald Trump.”

“Iranians have refused to negotiate with the US under the current circumstances, stating they are ready to respond to any aggression decisively,” the Times reported.

The report came after Mr Trump told NBC: “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing.”

He also threatened to punish Iran with what he called “secondary tariffs” unless it curtailed its nuclear ambitions.

Last month, the Tehran Times reported that Iran’s weapons stockpile included high-precision guided ballistic missiles, drones, and cruise missiles.

“Such weapons allow Iran to target American military ships in the Sea of ​​Oman and the Persian Gulf,” the newspaper wrote, adding: “Of course, we should not forget the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil passes and is constantly under the control of Iran, whether through missiles or other asymmetrical tactics.

“As tensions in the Middle East escalate, Tehran’s missile capabilities are becoming a greater challenge for the United States and Israel”.

Mr Trump’s bombing threats represented a sharpening of his comment a few days earlier that if Tehran refused to negotiate a new nuclear agreement, “bad, bad things are going to happen to Iran.”

It was not clear whether Mr Trump was threatening bombing by US planes alone or in an operation coordinated with Israel.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told Politico late last month that “in order to stop a nuclear Iranian program before it will be weaponised, a reliable military option should be on the table.”

Then Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (L) at the unveiling of a drone resembling America's armed MQ-9 Reaper. Picture: AFP.

In a video published early Sunday local time) by Iranian state media, President Masoud Pezeshkian said that “direct negotiations were rejected.”

But, he added: “The supreme leader has also emphasised that indirect negotiations can continue.”

“We do not avoid negotiations,” said Mr Pezeshkian, a reformist who has called for reviving nuclear talks with the US.

“Rather, it is their unfaithfulness that has caused problems for us so far. They must prove that they can establish trust regarding decisions, and I hope this will materialise.”

Analysts have said Iran may be just weeks away from producing a deliverable nuclear weapon, although Tehran denies it is building such arms. Either way, such an attack carries a risk of spreading to a wider conflict.

Mr Trump in 2018 pulled the United States out of an agreement to relieve sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program.

Now, in his second term, he has said he is open to talks on a new deal that could reduce the risk of military escalation.

Mr Trump revealed in early March that he had sent a letter proposing such talks to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Meantime, he has pushed ahead with his “maximum pressure” program of additional sanctions and the threat of military action.

According to NBC, Mr Trump also said US and Iranian officials were “talking,” but he did not give details.