Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand for unconditional surrender, warning that any American military action would bring severe consequences.
In a televised statement, Khamenei made his first public remarks since Friday, when Israel launched airstrikes across Iran. He stressed that peace or war could not be dictated to the Islamic Republic.
“Intelligent people who know Iran, the Iranian nation, and its history will never speak to this nation in threatening language because the Iranian nation will not surrender,” he said. “The Americans should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage.”
Thousands of residents fled Tehran on Wednesday after Israeli jets bombed the city overnight. Israel’s military said 50 fighter jets struck 20 targets in the Iranian capital, focusing on facilities linked to missile production.
A source familiar with White House discussions said President Trump and his team were weighing options, including potential U.S. participation in strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, warned that Tehran would retaliate if the U.S. took direct action. “We already see the United States as complicit in what Israel is doing,” he said.
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