Iran's foreign minister: "we have unfinished jobs too," hitting back at Trump's "we will soon finish the job" warning
MIDDLE EAST
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on his X account at 12:17 a.m. (Tehran time) on the 19th, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's warning that "we will soon finish the job," "But be careful; we have unfinished jobs too." The post came about six hours after Trump posted a letter of support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Truth Social. Mehrdada Akhlaghi Ketabachi, listed as head of Iran's Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group (SBIG), appears on both the sanctions list (SDN) of the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the U.N. Security Council sanctions list.
Trump warns Iran in Netanyahu support letter to change its behavior quickly
At 11:45 p.m. (Korea time) on the 18th, Trump posted on Truth Social a letter beginning "To the Great People of Israel." The post publicly endorses Netanyahu's re-election ahead of Israel's general election on the 27th. Trump called Netanyahu "an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran."
Trump noted that Iran has been chanting "Death to Israel, Death to America!" for 51 years. He said the chant is followed by words to the effect that they will destroy the Little Satan and the Great Satan, and that such words "always end up being true." Trump also said it would have been "only a question of time" before Iran acted on that chant. He then assessed that Iran has now been "systematically destroyed, both Militarily and Financially." He went on to warn that unless Iran changes its behavior quickly, "we will soon finish the job." This is the phrase Araghchi threw back.
The letter also contains a sentence referring to the burden on the United States. Trump wrote, "If Israel has the wrong Leader, which would be anyone other than Bibi, America will have to do this work ourselves, and I am not inclined to do so."
Netanyahu responded on his personal X account seven minutes after the letter was posted. He wrote, "Thank you, President Trump, for the tremendous support and the joint work. Together we will complete the mission!"
תודה לך הנשיא טראמפ על התמיכה האדירה והעבודה המשותפת.
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 18, 2026
יחד נשלים את המשימה! pic.twitter.com/0D4h9hkL5o
Araghchi hits back on X, saying Iran "emerged even stronger" last time
Araghchi's post went up at 5:47 a.m. Korea time on the 19th, or 12:17 a.m. on the 19th Tehran time. Addressing Trump, Araghchi wrote, "Last time you wanted to 'finish the job', Iran emerged even stronger." He wrote, "Want to try your luck again? Be our guest," before warning, "But be careful; we have unfinished jobs too."
In the same post, Araghchi took direct aim at Netanyahu. He claimed, "Netanyahu is driving America into another war to stay out of jail, whatever the consequences for Israel—let alone POTUS."
Last time you wanted to "finish the job", Iran emerged even stronger. Want to try your luck again? Be our guest. But be careful; we have unfinished jobs too.
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) October 18, 2026
Netanyahu is driving America into another war to stay out of jail, whatever the consequences for Israel—let alone POTUS.
Ketabachi listed on U.S. Treasury list as 'subject to secondary sanctions'
The OFAC list gives Ketabachi's name as "KETABACHI, Mehrdada Akhlaghi" and also lists the alternate spelling "KETABCHI, Merhdada Akhlaghi." His date of birth is Sept. 10, 1958, his nationality Iranian and his passport number A0030940. His contact details are listed as the Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO) on Langare Street, Nobonyad Square, Tehran, and the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group (SBIG). The list also attaches to his entry the additional information "subject to secondary sanctions."
Trump's first administration broadened the basis for sanctioning him on Sept. 21, 2020 (U.S. Eastern time). That day, Trump issued the executive order "Blocking Property of Certain Persons with Respect to the Conventional Arms Activities of Iran." OFAC amended the sanctions list the same day, adding the tag for this executive order (IRAN-CON-ARMS-EO) to Ketabachi's existing NPWMD and IFSR tags. The Defense Industries Organization (DIO) received the same tag the same day. The entry for Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) also had the executive order tag added that day to its existing SDGT, NPWMD and IFSR tags. The MODAFL entry carries the additional information "subject to secondary sanctions" along with a notation that it is "Linked To" the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF).
The same day, Treasury issued a separate press release titled "Treasury Sanctions Key Actors in Iran's Nuclear and Ballistic Missile Programs." Treasury said it had sanctioned deputy heads of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and its subsidiaries, as well as officials of the Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO) and others, under Executive Order 13382.
Ketabachi also on U.N. sanctions list as head of Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group
Ketabachi's name also appears on the U.N. Security Council sanctions list. The Iran sanctions list published by Switzerland's State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) (March 10, 2026, edition) lists him under U.N. number IRi.020. The list describes him as "Head of the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group (SBIG), which is designated under resolution 1737 (2006)." The same entry also carries SBIG's entity number (IRe.066).
The date of birth and passport number on the Swiss list match those on the OFAC list. Switzerland added him to its list on Oct. 26, 2023, and amended the entry on Dec. 12, 2025. The legal basis for the list is the Ordinance on Measures against the Islamic Republic of Iran (SR 946.231.143.6), enacted on Dec. 12, 2025.
U.N. Security Council reestablished Resolution 1737 sanctions list last September
According to the official page of the U.N. Security Council's 1737 sanctions committee, on the basis of paragraphs 11 and 12 of Resolution 2231 (2015), the provisions of resolutions 1696, 1737, 1747, 1803, 1835 and 1929 were reapplied as they stood before July 20, 2015, at 8 p.m. (U.S. Eastern Daylight Time) on Sept. 27, and the 1737 sanctions list was also reestablished. In an Oct. 1, 2025, press release, the U.S. Treasury described this as the "September 27 reimposition of U.N. sanctions on Iran."
The 1737 list currently contains 43 individuals and 78 entities. The Security Council first designated 12 individuals and 10 entities under Resolution 1737 in 2006. It then added 15 individuals and 13 entities under Resolution 1747 in 2007, 13 individuals and 12 entities under Resolution 1803 in 2008, and 1 individual and 40 entities under Resolution 1929 in 2010. Two individuals and three entities were added in 2012. Earlier, on Oct. 19, 2023, the Security Council had removed all 23 individuals and entities remaining on the 2231 list.
The reapplied measures include a proliferation embargo barring the transfer of nuclear- and missile-related items to Iran, an arms embargo barring the supply to Iran of tanks, fighter jets, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and other weapons and the procurement of Iranian arms, asset freezes and transaction restrictions, and travel bans. Countries must prevent the transfer to Iran of technology or technical assistance related to "ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons." They must also prevent the entry into or transit through their territory of designated individuals. The sanctions committee consists of all 15 members of the Security Council and makes decisions by consensus. The Security Council has not yet elected a chair of the committee.