Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has firmly stated that his country will not accept U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for “unconditional surrender,” Reuters reports.
In his first public statement since delivering a speech on state broadcaster last Friday, when Israel began its bombing campaign against Iran, Khamenei declared that peace or war cannot be imposed on the Islamic Republic.
“Intelligent people who know Iran, the Iranian nation, and its history will never speak to this nation with threatening language because the Iranian nation will not surrender,” he asserted.
Khamenei further warned, “Americans should know that any military intervention by the United States will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage.”
Escalating Conflict and US Considerations
Thousands of people fled Tehran on Wednesday after Israeli fighter jets bombed the city overnight. A source indicated that Trump is reportedly considering options that include lining up with Israel in attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.
The Israeli military announced that 50 Israeli fighter jets struck approximately 20 targets in Tehran overnight, including sites producing raw materials, components, and production systems for missiles.
Meanwhile, Iran has already notified Washington that it would retaliate against the United States for any direct participation in the conflict, according to Ali Bahreini, Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva. He stated that he already views the U.S. as an “accomplice in what Israel is doing.”
