Iran’s supreme leader is responding to President Donald Trump’s call for Tehran to surrender to Israel and warning the U.S. against direct involvement in the conflict.
Ayatollah Khamenei delivered a TV address to the Iranian people Wednesday and took to social media to get his message to Trump directly. The address came after Trump bragged about knowing the Iranian supreme leader’s location and sparing his life for the time being.
“Intelligent people who know Iran, the nation and the history of Iran will never speak to this nation in the language of threats, because the Iranian nation cannot be surrendered,” he said in the televised address, according to Iranian state media. “The Americans should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage.”
Khameini followed up the address with social media messages dismissing Trump’s demand that the embattled nation surrender.
“The US President threatens us. With his absurd rhetoric, he demands that the Iranian people surrender to him. They should make threats against those who are afraid of being threatened. The Iranian nation isn’t frightened by such threats,” Khamenei said on X.
“It isn’t wise to tell the Iranian nation to surrender. What should the Iranian nation surrender to? We will never surrender in response to the attacks of anyone. This is the logic of the Iranian nation. This is the spirit of the Iranian nation,” he added in a separate post.
The U.S. has not directly assisted in Israel’s strikes on Iran, but it did help the Jewish state defend itself against Iranian missile attacks. Before Israel struck Iran, the U.S. and Iran were holding diplomatic talks about a potential deal to curb Tehran’s development of a nuclear weapon.
The Israelis have killed several top Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists with controlled strikes that began last week. Israel launched the strikes on Iran one day after Trump’s 60-day deadline for coming to an agreement with Iran passed, although negotiations still appeared to be underway.
Khamenei said Iranian officials were indirectly negotiating with the U.S. and suggested there was no indication Iran was planning a military attack. He also said the Iranians are becoming more suspicious of U.S. involvement in the Israeli military campaign based on the rhetoric coming out of the U.S.
The Israeli military said Wednesday it struck 40 Iranian missile infrastructure components as it continues dismantling Iranian capabilities and taking out key personnel.
“Approx. 25 fighter jets struck over 40 missile infrastructure components directed toward Israel this morning, including missile storage sites and military operatives of the Iranian Regime,” the Israel Defense Forces said on X.
Israel continues to fight its war in Gaza against Hamas, one of Iran’s terrorist proxy groups, sparked by Hamas’s mass civilian slaughter and abduction of 251 hostages on October 7, 2023.
Trump said Tuesday the U.S. and Israel too “complete and total control” of Iranian air space and celebrated American manufacturing in making it possible. Taunting Khamenei, Trump asserted that the U.S. and Israel would not kill him “for now” even though his location is known. Trump also called for an “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” without getting into specifics.
Trump has repeatedly said Iran cannot possess a nuclear weapon, consistent with the position he took against Iran during his first term.