Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday strongly dismissed US President Donald Trump’s demand for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” calling it a “silly statement” as it reached its sixth day.
Addressing in a televised speech his first since Friday Khamenei threatened that any US military action would cause “irreparable harm.” He stated, “No wise person who knows Iran and its past addresses us with the language of threats. This nation will never submit.”
President Trump, meanwhile, escalated his rhetoric but was still not saying whether the US would join Israel in its bombing campaign against Tehran. “I may do it. I may not do it,” he said outside the White House to reporters. “Nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
Trump claimed Iranian officials had expressed interest in negotiations, including a possible White House meeting. But he dismissed the possibility, saying, “It’s very late to be talking. Unconditional surrender that means I’ve had it.” When asked about Khamenei’s rejection, Trump replied, “I say, good luck.”
Trump on Tuesday teased directly targeting Khamenei and reiterated a call for complete Iranian surrender through Twitter. Iran’s UN mission responded with a biting tweet, calling Trump a “has-been warmonger grasping for relevance.
As Israeli raids escalated, traffic was said to clog roads away from Tehran. Israel said its recent strikes knocked out Iran’s national police headquarters and advised citizens to leave some parts of the capital. “We will attack symbols of government and ayatollah regime wherever they exist,” Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed.
The Pentagon confirmed it stands ready to obey any orders, as senior US officials continue to consider joining Israeli operations to strike Iran’s nuclear sites.
With diplomatic gestures crumbling and tensions boiling over, the specter of increased US involvement hangs over the region.