Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, has warned that any military confrontation with the United States would not remain limited to Iran and would instead escalate into a regional war, amid rising tensions between Tehran and Washington.
According to Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB, Khamenei made the remarks on Sunday (12 Dalw) during a meeting with a group of people in Tehran. He said: “We are not the ones who start wars and we do not seek to attack any country, but the Iranian nation will deliver a strong punch to anyone who attacks or harasses it.”
Referring to threats made by US President Donald Trump, Khamenei said such rhetoric is not new. “In the past, Americans repeatedly threatened in their statements and said that all options were on the table, including the option of war,” he said.
He added: “Now this man as well (Trump) constantly claims that ‘we brought aircraft carriers’ and so on. The Iranian nation should not be frightened by these things; the people of Iran are not influenced by such threats.”
In another part of his speech, Khamenei once again described the recent protests in Iran as a “sedition,” this time characterizing them as “similar to a coup.” He said that “the coup was suppressed” and claimed that its aim had been to damage sensitive and key centers involved in running the country.
These remarks come as Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran with a “very hard blow” and military action following the crackdown on protests in the country. At the same time, the United States has stepped up its military presence in the Middle East, deploying the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and its strike group to the region.
Trump has said that a “very large force” has been sent toward Iran, while expressing hope that it would not need to be used.
