Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has warned the United States that Tehran will "rain down hell" if Washington resumes its attacks, issuing the ultimatum in a post on X on Sunday as he pressed the White House to accept Iran's two-day proposal to end the war.

"Our 2-day proposal stands: meet the requirements, including end to war on all fronts, and you will see results," Araghchi wrote. "Or choose war, and see our alert and battle-hardened warriors rain down hell."

The warning was aimed directly at the Trump administration days after midterm elections in which Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress. Araghchi said American voters had made their choice and that it was now time for the White House to make its own.

Iran's Foreign Ministry separately quoted the minister warning that Tehran would "not go easy on American targets" in the region. "There are some American targets in the region outside military bases that may be within range of Iranian strikes," the ministry quoted him as saying.

The message came on the same day that President Donald Trump told CNN renewed US strikes on Iran were "highly unlikely" if negotiations over Tehran's nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz continued to make progress. "It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement," Trump said in a 20-minute phone interview. "I would [continue], if necessary, but we hit them really hard."

Trump added that US forces had three aircraft carriers in the region "fully locked and loaded" and said the United States had 38 bridges in Iran in its crosshairs that it could "knock down in literally one hour" if military action resumed.

An adviser to the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Aerospace Force echoed Araghchi's warning in a statement on Telegram. Brigadier-General Ali Belali said Iran's armed forces were at the ready and that "if the enemy makes a mistake, Iran's response will be devastating and severe", adding that weapons had been "secured for years to come" and that capabilities had been upgraded since the war began.

Araghchi's statements followed reports by Iranian state media that an oil tanker had caught fire earlier on Sunday morning after hitting a naval mine east of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's navy said the ship's identification systems were turned off and that it was travelling in a no-go zone of the strait.

The foreign minister also said negotiations had been delayed by the US elections and that mediators would need time to resume their work. "It will take some time for things to settle down and for the atmosphere to become conducive to the mediators resuming their visits," he said. "We have to wait."

The exchange underlines how little has been settled eight months after the United States and Israel began attacks on Iran in February. Tehran has sought to keep pressure on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz while the United States has enforced a blockade on Iranian ports, and neither side has yet announced an agreement despite weeks of talks through mediators including Qatar and Pakistan.