© Majid Saeedi/Getty ImagesIran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
The US would suffer "irreparable damage" if it intervenes militarily against Iran, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has stated. His remarks follow a series of increasingly direct threats from US President Donald Trump.
Over the past few days, Trump has warned that US forces are ready to strike if Iran attacks any American targets, and has implied that Khamenei is an "easy target."
"We are not going to take him out — at least not for now," Trump wrote on his Truth Social account. In other posts, he insisted that Iran "must surrender" and claimed that the US had "complete and total control of the skies over Iran."
Responding to Trump's threats in a televised address on Wednesday, Khamenei stated that "those with wisdom who know Iran and its history never speak to this nation in the language of threats."
"Iran is not a nation that will surrender," the supreme leader was quoted by Iranian media as saying, adding that "any kind of military entry by the US will undoubtedly be accompanied by damage that cannot be compensated."
Khamenei also described Trump's ultimatum for Iran's "unconditional surrender" as unacceptable and stressed that the Islamic Republic "will not accept an imposed peace."
"The US President threatens us. With his absurd rhetoric, he demands that the Iranian people surrender to him. They should make threats against those who are afraid of being threatened. The Iranian nation isn't frightened by such threats."Khamenei added that Trump's remarks suggest Washington was directly involved in Israel's attack on Iran.
Israel began carrying out strikes on Iran last Friday, claiming Tehran is nearing the completion of a nuclear bomb. Iran dismissed the accusations and retaliated with waves of drone and missile strikes on the Jewish state.
Israel's attacks have been condemned by a number of countries, including Russia, which has described the strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure as "illegal" and warned they could trigger a "nuclear catastrophe."
The Russian Foreign Ministry has also pointed out that Israel's actions violate international law and threaten global stability. In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry further claimed that the widespread condemnation of Israel's attack on Iran by most of the international community suggests that the Jewish State is only supported by its "accomplices."
Reader Comments
'' People of Terhan, evacuate!'' What nonsense. Trying to cause internal strife.
''We have control of your skies''. More B.S.... ''Surrender''
Whether the ''empire of lies'' gets directly involved or not, we will see, but at the moment, I don't think so.
However, the Israelis are trying very hard to get them in. We all kinda know how that usually works out!
Hardly any IDF jet enters Iranian air space at all. They (mis-)use Iraqi airspace, and launch standoff weapons into Iran. And still, the Iranians bring down some of those jets - over Iraqi territory.
The power of propaganda, smoke, and mirrors. It brought us already victory in the Ukraine ... or not
IDF Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin on Saturday revealed that over 70 aircraft operated in the heart of Tehran for over two hours straight and attacked over 40 targets during a press conference on Saturday.
The question is, whether the US will go up against Iran? That is open to question also. They have stood firm for the last 45 years against sanctions, propaganda and sabotage. There are many disgruntled people in many countries, like the US for example. It is very hard to tell what is really what through the fog of war. Look at Ukraine, still winning after all these years.
Still, for Iran to stand firm against the sanctions etc since 1979, things can't be that bad. There is a LOT of BS being pushed as news at the moment, so it is hard to tell.
Trump not too long ago said (sincerely I believe) that the US under his administration will not get involved in these forever wars abroad!! What has changed?
How is it no one's business when the Iranian government puts out bounties to assassinate foreign leaders? Or funds terror in other countries? Iran isn't just sitting there minding their own business.
The US isn't getting involved in the war unless someone attacks the US.
The US has assassinated foreign leaders, and their own. The US helped topple Assad in Syria and occupies territories in Syria in contravention of all law and now has cordial relations with their ''new leader'' Ahmed al-Sharaa of Al Qaeda.
On the other hand, one could say that Iran supports resistance movements against the Zionist regime and the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
The US has funded groups to destabilize political movements that might have aligned with the Soviet Union or socialist countries government. Or to stop the drug trade.
Assad was an evil man with ill will and bad intentions for Syrias citizens. Iran harbors Al-Qaeda
Well, he (Assad) wasn't that bad when he was permitting the US to use Syrian prisons for the CIA to torture so-called terrorists during the war on sanity, i mean terror. He only became bad when he refused to cut off Iran and stop them arming Hezbollah, and for not permitting Qatar and Saudi gas and oil pipelines through Syria into Europe, thereby shutting Russia out of European markets.
The war in Ukraine and the terrorist act of destroying Nord Stream 2 saw to that. No, with US support, Al Qaeda is now the government in Syria. AND, the sanctions have been lifted. By the way, sanctions really hurt innocent people. That is the point, to get them to turn against their government. The US is arming Israel to massacre tens of thousands of innocents in Gaza. It really is a looong list. Who has Iran attacked?
For the record, I am speaking of the US government, official and unofficial. Not the American people!!
Syrian President Sharaa admits Al-Qaeda past. Two al-Qaeda groups (Al Nusrah and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria [ISIS]). Al Nusrah Front is operating in a loose alliance with the Islamic Front(supported by the Gulf States).
The Allied itself made sure of that, through permanent bombing campaigns that killed more than a million civilians in total. This made it easy for Goebbels and Co. to rally even the undecided around them.
The situation with Iran is a bit different. The government represents a larger section of the population than e.g. in the EU or UK, and as a Shia nation, they are surrounded by somewhat hostile Sunnies.
And what I heard about their philosophy and worldview, most of them rather die than bow down before the orange Shaitan.