India, May 18 -- Iran has aggressively rejected US President Donald Trump's latest ultimatum and warnings, declaring his high-pressure tactics entirely "unacceptable." The Islamic Republic, in response to Trump, has signalled that its military is braced for a full-scale confrontation.

The defiant response from Tehran sets up an explosive diplomatic standoff as a tenuous regional truce to end the war threatens to collapse entirely.

"Our preparedness is effective right now at more than 100 per cent," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated in an official briefing carried by state media networks.

Araghchi emphasised that Tehran is matching Washington's escalatory language with equal resolve, warning that Iran is fully prepared for ...