Iran’s supreme leader warns US, Israel against war

Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, cautioned the United States and Israel against engaging in war once more, according to a written statement released on Saturday. The warning followed threats from the Islamic republic's adversaries of resuming military or terrorist attacks. Khamenei's statement, published on his website, was made during a reported gathering with senior military commanders, including Ali Abdollahi, Amir Hatami, and Ahmad Vahidi.

This was the first confirmed meeting between them. In the statement, Khamenei instructed the commanders to respond immediately and effectively to any threat, with no geographical restrictions. He also ordered them to update Iran's target list to encompass all assets belonging to the American-Zionist enemy. The conflict began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which promptly retaliated by targeting countries in the region.

Khamenei's warning emerged as diplomatic efforts were underway to prevent a further escalation of hostilities. A Qatari delegation arrived in Tehran on Friday for talks with Iranian officials, following what was reported to be a letter from US Vice-President J.D. Vance. However, Tehran has not yet responded to the message.