Ayatollah Khamenei warns of regional war if US attacks Iran
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei stressed in a stark warning that any war initiated by the United States against Iran would turn into a regional war.
Addressing a large gathering of people on Sunday, the Leader said recent US rhetoric about war and military assets was nothing new.
“The Americans should know that if they start a war this time, it will be a regional war,” he said, stressing that threats and displays of military power will not intimidate the Iranian nation.
“Sometimes they talk about war and speak of aircraft and warships; this is not a new thing,” he said, recalling that US officials had repeatedly threatened Iran in the past by claiming that “all options are on the table, including the option of war.”
Referring to US President Donald Trump’s threats against Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “The Iranian nation should not be frightened by these things; the people of Iran are not affected by such threats.”
He emphasized that Iran would not be the initiator of any war, but warned of a firm response to aggression.
“We are not the ones who start [a war], and we do not want to attack any country, but the Iranian nation will deliver a hard punch to anyone who attacks and harasses it,” he said.
In another part of his speech, the Leader described the recent riots across Iran as “similar to a coup,” saying the plot aimed at destroying sensitive and effective centers involved in running the country.
He said attackers targeted police stations, government centers, Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) facilities, banks, and mosques, and even set the Holy Qur’an on fire, noting that the attempt had ultimately been thwarted.
The Leader also said the Iranian people had reduced the flames of the recent American-Zionist sedition to ashes, just as they had defeated previous conspiracies, adding that the nation will decisively confront any future challenges as well.
Ayatollah Khamenei cited returning the country to its rightful owners — the people — and cutting off US influence from Iran as another defining characteristic of the Islamic Revolution, saying this feature angered and unsettled Washington and drove it, from the very beginning, into hostility toward the Iranian nation and system.
Referring to Iran’s advances in various fields, he said few would have believed that the Iranian nation would one day reach a point where Americans would copy weapons produced by Iran.
He said such achievements were the result of self-confidence, hope, and ambition instilled in the nation by Imam Khomeini, whom he described as a symbol of hope and self-belief who motivated the people toward effort and progress.
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