Iran's supreme leader threatens Israel and the United States

TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, cautioned the United States and Israel against engaging in additional warfare, according to a written statement released on Saturday. This warning came in response to threats from the Islamic republic’s adversaries of a potential resumption of strikes. The statement, attributed to Khamenei and published on his website, emphasized that should the enemies launch military or terrorist attacks once again, it is the Islamic Republic’s armed forces and the Iranian nation who would determine the timing and conditions for their cessation.

Khamenei’s remarks were made during a meeting involving senior military commanders, including Ali Abdollahi, Amir Hatami, and Ahmad Vahidi. This meeting marked the first reported gathering between them. Since assuming the role of supreme leader following his father’s demise during a US-Israeli strike in February, Khamenei has been conspicuous in public appearances.

The statement revealed that Khamenei instructed the commanders to respond to any level or type of threat with an immediate, powerful, and geographically unrestricted counterattack. Additionally, Khamenei directed the commanders to update Iran’s list of targets to encompass "all types of tangible and intangible assets belonging to the American-Zionist enemy."

The conflict initiated on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes against Iran, which promptly retaliated with attacks targeting nations across the region. The supreme leader’s warning emerged as diplomatic efforts persisted in an attempt to prevent a recurrence of the conflict. A delegation from Qatar visited Tehran on Friday to engage in discussions with Iranian officials, following reports that Iran had received a letter from US Vice President JD Vance. However, as of now, Tehran has not responded to the letter.