ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday said that the country will not succumb to threats nor engage in negotiations with the United States “under coercive conditions,” following threats from US President Donald Trump.

US forces have launched fresh strikes in recent weeks targeting Houthi-held regions in Yemen over the group’s continued attacks on ships in the Red Sea, which they say are carried out in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Responding to claims that the recent American airstrikes on Houthi targets are a prelude to an attack on Iran, Araghchi said that “Tehran will never submit to threats and will not allow anyone to speak to us in the language of force.”

Earlier in March, Trump accused Iran of being behind all military actions of the Houthis, vowing “dire consequences” for Tehran in case of any further attacks by the Houthis.

 “Our enemies will regret making these threats,” Araghchi added.

Araghchi’s comments also comes two days after Trump threatened that if Tehran does not make a deal on the nuclear issue, “there will be bombing. It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”

The American president’s remarks came after Tehran rejected his proposal to engage in direct negotiations over the nuclear issue.

“The reason for indirect negotiations is the threats that have been made,” said Araghchi. “This approach is, in fact, a response to US bullying. We do not negotiate under coercive conditions, but we have always been and remain ready to negotiate from a position of equality.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday responded to Trump’s threats, saying that if the US decides to take military action they would “receive a heavy blow in return.”

The Iranian foreign ministry also summoned the chargé d'affaires of the Swiss embassy, who acts as the representative of US interests in Iran, to express Tehran's condemnation of the American president’s recent threats.

The ministry “conveyed Iran’s warning regarding any hostile actions” and stressed Tehran's “determination to respond decisively and immediately to any threat.”

During his first term in 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal – an agreement between Tehran and world powers to curb Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief. Subsequent attempts at reviving the deal have failed to yield results.

Iran’s arch rivals – the US and Israel – have repeatedly threatened to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, despite Tehran maintaining that its nuclear program is peaceful and that it has no plans to develop nuclear weapons.