Iran's Supreme Leader Directly Threatens the US: “If You Start a War, This Time It Will Be a Regional War”
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Photo Source: ZUMA Press Wire / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that if the US attacks Iran, it will lead to a regional conflict, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, as cited by the Associated Press.
“The Americans should know that if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war,” Khamenei said on Sunday.
“We are not instigators and we are not trying to attack any country. But the Iranian nation will deal a firm blow to anyone who attacks or harasses it,” Iran's supreme leader also said.
The 86-year-old Khamenei's remarks represent the most direct threat he has made yet, given that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and US warships are in the Arabian Sea, sent there by Trump after Tehran's bloody crackdown on nationwide protests, the Associated Press notes.
But Khamenei called the nationwide protests “a coup d'état”, toughening the government's stance as tens of thousands of people have been detained since the protests began.
It is unclear whether Trump will use force. He has repeatedly said Iran is willing to negotiate and has brought up Tehran's nuclear program as another issue he wants to see resolved.
Trump says Iran is talking to US
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Iran was in talks with the United States and suggested a deal to avoid military strikes.
“(Iran) is talking to us and we'll see if we can do something, otherwise we'll see what happens … We have a large fleet heading over there. They're negotiating,” Trump told Fox News.
Washington deployed a naval battle group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier off the coast of Iran after Trump threatened to intervene in Iran following a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests.
The flotilla's arrival has sparked fears of a direct confrontation with Iran, which has warned it would respond with missile attacks on US bases, ships and allies in the Middle East – particularly Israel – in the event of an attack.
