ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday warned of a strong response if the Islamic republic is attacked, after a threat from US President Donald Trump.
“They threaten to commit evil,” Khamenei said during his Eid al-Fitr speech, referring to Trump’s latest threat to Tehran if it fails to reach an agreement with Washington.
“If evil is committed, the counterattack will definitely be mutually strong,” he stressed.
On Saturday, Trump warned that “there will be bombing” if Tehran fails to reach an agreement with Washington.
“If they don’t make a deal [with the US] there will be bombing, and it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before,” Trump told NBC News.
On March 7, Trump said that he had sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei signaling openness to new nuclear negotiations, but threatened possible military action if Iran refuses to cooperate. “If we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing for them.”
But Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday emphasized Tehran’s preference to avoid direct talks with Washington. “The path of indirect negotiation is open,” he said.
Khamenei emphasized that Iran's positions remain unchanged toward the United States and Israel, as the hostility from both countries also remains the same.
“If they are thinking of inciting sedition within the country, like they did in previous years, the Iranian people themselves will respond, just as they have in the past,” Khamenei affirmed.
Iranian authorities have blamed mass unrest, such as the widespread 2022 Jin Jiyan Azadi (Women Life Freedom) protests, on Western interference.
Iran’s foreign minister on Friday downplayed the possibility of American military action against the Islamic republic, but said Tehran stands ready “for both threats and diplomacy.”
Earlier in March, Khamenei stated that Iran will not accept demands from a “bully” who only seeks dominance rather than solving problems.
Under a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear enrichment program in exchange for much-needed relief from crippling sanctions. The deal began unraveling in 2018 when Trump, during his first term, unilaterally withdrew the US from the accord and reimposed biting sanctions on Iran.
Tehran waited a year and then gradually ramped up its nuclear activities.
After returning to office, Trump in early February restored his maximum pressure policy on Tehran, arguing that it is “too close” to a nuclear weapon.
