After several threats, ultimatums, and even a threatening message from both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei finally ended his silence with a forceful and unyielding reply.
Defiantly rejecting pressure from Washington, Khamenei proclaimed, "Never," in response to Trump's call for Iran's "unconditional surrender."
Speaking from behind a mask, Khamenei spoke to the Iranian people and issued a blunt warning to those he referred to as "enemies." He promised that Tehran "will never surrender," directly contradicting the warning issued by both Trump and Netanyahu. He warned the U.S. not to commit itself to military action in the current conflict between Iran and Israel, assuring it that doing so would lead to penalties too dire to reverse.
"The damage the US will incur will certainly be irreparable if they get involved in this war militarily," Khamenei wrote on X.
The Supreme Leader also insulted Trump personally, stating, "The US President threatens us. With his ridiculous words, he orders the Iranian people to surrender to him. They must threaten those who themselves fear threats. The Iranian nation is not intimidated by such threats."
Pointing to the possibility of a backlash, Khamenei threatened Washington of losses "much more than any damage that may be suffered by Iran."
Earlier in the week, President Trump had issued a veiled warning to Khamenei, asking him to surrender "unconditionally." He also intimated that the U.S. and Israel had a good idea of the Supreme Leader's secret whereabouts.
"He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to kill him (take him out), at least not yet. But we don't want missiles fired at civilians, or American troops," Trump said, indicating that America's "patience is thinning" and that a targeted killing of Khamenei could be an option if hostilities increase.
Trump had also used his social site Truth Social days before, asserting multiple attempts at making a deal with Iran. "I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to 'just do it,' but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn't get it done," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "I said it would be far worse than anything they know, expected, or were informed, that America produces the best and most deadly military hardware anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has plenty of it, with much more to follow - And they know how to apply it."
Trump also gave a dark reminder of the fate of Iran's previous leaders: "The US President reminded Khamenei that many 'Iranian hardliner's spoke boldly, but they did not know what was to come. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse!"
Iran's Missile Counterattack Shakes Israel
The Iran-Israel war raged a perilous path at the weekend when Israel carried out a range of precision attacks on Iran's military and nuclear installations. In retaliation, Iran launched a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israeli cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, hitting mostly civilian areas and raising the specter of all-out war.
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz had previously warned Tehran residents that, although Israel did not seek to damage civilians, military action could have collateral damage. "While there is no aim to physically harm the residents of Tehran as the bloodthirsty dictator does to the residents of Israel, the residents of Tehran will be made to pay the price of dictatorship and vacate their homes from territories where it will be required to strike regime targets and security infrastructure in Tehran. We will keep on safeguarding the residents of Israel," Katz added.
The crisis deepened further on Wednesday after Iran brought its hypersonic missile capabilities into the picture. On X, Khamenei posted, "In the name of God, the battle begins," declaring Iran's launch of modern weapons. "We need to retaliate with a harsh reaction against the terrorist Zionist regime. We will show no mercy to the Zionists."
Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed the deployment of the Fattah-1 hypersonic missile as part of what it called the "11th wave of the proud Operation Honest Promise 3."
Hypersonic missiles, which can travel at speeds greater than Mach 5, use a glide vehicle for pinpoint targeting and quick delivery of devastating payloads, making them particularly difficult to intercept.
Global Powers Brace for Fallout as Nuclear Fears Mount
As tensions escalate, the United States is considering military aid to Israel. The G7 members, including major players such as France and Germany, have also rallied behind Israel in keeping Iran from obtaining nuclear power.
Both Washington and Tel Aviv insist that Iran cannot be permitted to build a nuclear weapon under any pretext. Tehran still claims its nuclear program is being pursued for strictly peaceful energy goals.
Regardless of these assurances, U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies are convinced that Iran has enriched uranium to levels perilously close to weapons-grade status.
American Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff recently reiterated that peaceful nuclear power only needs uranium enriched to a level of 3.67 percent. Iran, however, has been said to have reached enrichment levels as high as 60 percent—a prospecting level shy of the 90 percent mark required by a nuclear bomb.
"This cannot be permitted," Witkoff said in April, a point echoed forcefully by Trump: "Iran must eliminate the idea of a nuclear weapon. These are people who are radicalised, and they cannot possess a nuclear weapon."
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu defended Friday's strikes as a preemptive action against Iran's approaching nuclear capability. The Middle East region has been the arena of Israel's subsequent military campaign targeting Iran's most important uranium enrichment units since.
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