Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stood defiant in the face of President Donald Trump’s threats, saying any intervention would be met with “irreparable damage.”
In a televised address, Khamenei sought to reassure Iranians amid increasing signals that the United States could join Israel in its assault on Iran. He turned to Iranian history to wave off Trump’s threats, warning of retaliation if any actions were taken against Tehran.
“Intelligent people who know Iran, the nation and the history of Iran will never speak to this nation in the language of threats, because the Iranian nation cannot be surrendered,” Khamenei said. “The Americans should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage.”
He added that Iran “will stand firm against an imposed war, just as it will stand firm against an imposed peace.”
“This nation will not surrender to anyone in the face of imposition,” Khamenei added.
His remarks about an imposed peace were primarily a reference to Trump’s Tuesday Truth Social post that said, “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”
Other Iranian officials echoed Khamenei’s comments. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Iran’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said, “Any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region.”
Intervention “would be extremely reckless, extremely irresponsible,” he continued while signaling an openness for continued diplomacy.
“Diplomacy never ends,” Baghaei remarked.
Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Ali Bahreini said Trump’s calls for unconditional surrender were “very hostile,” and he promised that Iran was ready to “respond very firmly” if the U.S. intervened.
“There is a line which, if crossed, there should be a response on our side. And that line will be defined by our relevant authorities, including military forces,” he said.
A response from Iran could include attacks on vulnerable U.S. bases scattered across Iraq, Syria, and other Middle Eastern countries. Though considerably weakened by Israeli strikes since Oct. 7, 2023, Iran still has hundreds of thousands of militiamen it can call upon through its proxy forces, primarily based out of Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen.
Trump signaled a change in rhetoric over the past several days following Israel’s success in its decapitation strikes against Iran. On Tuesday, he taunted Khamenei by suggesting the U.S. knew where he was hiding and may choose to assassinate him in the future.
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding,” he said in a post on Truth Social, referring to Khamenei. “He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The U.S. has moved military assets to the Middle East in preparation for a possible strike against Iran, including refueling aircraft and naval vessels. Israel is relying on the U.S.’s 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs to hit Iran’s underground Fordo nuclear enrichment facility, buried hundreds of feet underground in the side of a mountain.
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Reports increasingly indicate that Trump may soon order limited strikes against Iran’s nuclear program.
“The movement right now is away from diplomacy and toward U.S. involvement,” a Trump administration official told Politico’s Dasha Burns. “We are moving toward taking out Iranian nuclear facilities.”