Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 2 (ANI): The Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Mumbai on Thursday slammed US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over his reiterating US President Donald Trump’s remark during the latter’s address to the nation, where he stated that Iran would be hit so hard that it would go “back to the Stone Age”.In a post on X, sharing a screengrab of Hegseth’s “stone age” remark, the Iranian consulate questioned Washington’s agenda over their military action against the Islamic Republic, noting that earlier the stance was to make Iran “Great Again”, which now shifted.The consulate further stated that civilisations that originated since the Achaemenid Empire back in 550 BC, are already great.”They said Iran needed to be ‘Great Again.’ Now suddenly the goalpost is… the Stone Age? Funny thing… civilizations that go back to empires like the Achaemenids don’t really do ‘again.’ They just are,” the consulate stated in the post.They said #Iran needed to be “Great Again.”Now suddenly the goalpost is… the Stone Age?Funny thing… civilizations that go back to empires like the Achaemenids don’t really do “again.”They just are. pic.twitter.com/WGhVayRYeJ— Consulate General of the I.R. Iran in Mumbai (@IRANinMumbai) April 2, 2026The statement underscores Tehran’s rejection of Washington’s aggressive rhetoric while highlighting Iran’s historical and cultural heritage that spans back to one of the world’s earliest empires.This comes after Trump, earlier, warned that Iran could face severe military action in the coming weeks amid the ongoing conflict in the region, stating that Washington’s action against the Islamic Republic is “on the cusp” of ending what he described as Tehran’s “sinister threat” to the US and the world.Delivering his address to the nation, Trump said that Iran would be hit “extremely hard” amid ongoing diplomatic talks between the two sides in order to sign a deal to end the conflict, which has been going on for over a month.”We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We are going to bring them back to the stone ages, where they belong. In the meantime, discussions are ongoing,” the US President said.”Tonight, every American can look forward to a day when we are finally free from the wickedness of Iranian aggression and the spectre of nuclear blackmail. Because of the actions we have taken, we are on the cusp of ending Iran’s sinister threat to America and the world,” he added.This development comes as diplomatic engagements between Washington and Tehran continue amid the conflict in West Asia, following US-Israel joint military strikes on Iran on February 28, which led to the death of 86-year-old Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after which Tehran, in retaliation, targeted Israel and US assets in several Gulf countries, causing disruption in the waterways and affecting international energy markets and global economic stability.Following Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death, his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was appointed as Iran’s new supreme leader by the country’s Assembly of Experts. (ANI)(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)