Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has dismissed mounting rumors of a potential U.S. military attack on Tehran, claiming that the threats only demonstrate Israel's declining power.
"The mere fact that Zionist regime's American friends have come to the forefront and are making such claims is an indication of that regime's weakness and incapability," Khamenei said, referring to both Israel and the United States.
The Supreme Leader underlined the necessity of national determination in withstanding foreign pressure. "If the enemy smells that you are afraid of them, they won't release you. Persist in the very conduct that you have had until today; persist in this conduct with firmness," he exhorted, repeating his longstanding message of resistance to Western intervention.
His comments are made against the background of reports that U.S. officials are seriously considering military action against Iran—a step that would be highly likely to increase tensions in the already tense Israel-Iran standoff.
Rising Israeli Rhetoric
The rhetoric had risen previously when Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz made a pointed threat against Khamenei, after a missile attack that struck a hospital on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.
The cowardly Iranian dictator sits in the belly of a protected bunker and launches missiles at Israeli hospitals and homes. These are war crimes of the highest order — and Khamenei will be held to account for his crimes," Katz said in a statement published to X.
Katz added that Israel had escalated its military action. "The Prime Minister and I have ordered the IDF to heighten the level of attacks on strategic targets in Iran and government targets in Tehran to eliminate threats to Israel and weaken the Ayatollah's regime," he added.
While rhetoric increases and exchanges of threats occur on both sides, the region is increasingly threatened with direct military engagement, which may lead to wider international participation.
Read also| White House: Trump Poised to Make Iran Decision Within 14 Days
Read also| Netanyahu Vows Retaliation as Iranian Missile Strikes Israel’s Largest Hospital
