Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Saturday that there will be no more red lines if Iran comes under another round of US-Israeli aggression, saying Iran's armed forces would inflict a devastating blow on anyone who attacks the Iranian nation. He made the remarks in a post on X on October 31, responding to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, according to Press TV's report of the post.
Source: Press TV — Araghchi post on X, Oct 31
"When Israel-US bombings of Iran began last year, Mr. Merz hailed them. 'Doing Europe's dirty work,'" Araghchi wrote, recalling the chancellor's earlier endorsement of the first bombings. "100bn Euro is nothing compared to the Earth-shattering blow Iran's Powerful Armed Forces will deal against those who dare harm our people. Red lines are a thing of the past."
Source: Araghchi on X via Press TV
What Merz actually said
Merz, speaking to reporters on Friday at the end of his visit to South Korea, said the conflict could not be resolved through military means and urged all parties to pursue a diplomatic solution, Press TV reported. "Businesses and consumers in Europe have paid more than 100 billion euros extra because energy has become more expensive as a result of this conflict," he said. "We therefore also have an economic interest in bringing this conflict to an end as quickly as possible." Middle East Eye's morning update on Saturday carried the same figure, reporting that Merz said Germany was working to bring the Iran war to an end as soon as possible because the conflict has added more than 100 billion euros (about $112 billion) to Europe's energy costs over the past eight months.
Source: Middle East Eye morning update via Hathalyoum
Yaani: 100 billion euros means 100 arab euros of extra energy cost — at the $112 billion figure reported alongside it, that is roughly the scale of a large economy's entire annual energy-import bill, paid by ordinary European households and businesses through higher fuel and heating prices.
Why the exchange matters now
The warning lands amid fresh speculation about renewed US strikes on Iran after the November 3 US midterm elections. Reports on Saturday described at least 10 US cargo aircraft landing at Israeli bases, with an Israeli official saying both countries were preparing for whatever decision President Donald Trump makes while stressing no decision had yet been taken — preparation, the reports said, not proof that an attack has been ordered. Al Jazeera's live coverage on Saturday carried Araghchi's warning under the headline that he had warned of an 'earth-shattering blow' if Iran is attacked.
Source: Al Jazeera live coverage, Oct 31
For Punjabi and Indian workers in the Gulf, and for families in Punjab who depend on Gulf remittances and watch diesel and flight prices, the stakes are direct: every round of escalation in this war has pushed oil prices, airfares and shipping costs higher, and European governments are now publicly counting that cost. What happens next turns on whether the diplomacy Merz called for — or the strikes Washington is reported to be preparing for — comes first.