After warnings, ultimatums, and even a death threat by Israel's Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, Iran's Supreme Leader has spoken. "Never", he said responding to President Trump's call for an "unconditional surrender".
Addressing the people of Iran and sending a message to the enemy from his secret hideout, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader said, Tehran "will never surrender". Countering the threats given to him by Netanyahu and Trump, the Ayatollah warned the United States of "irreparable damage" if it intervenes in the Israel-Iran conflict.
President Trump, had on Tuesday, issued an ultimatum to Khamenei to "surrender unconditionally", adding a veiled threat that the United States and Israel know "exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding."
"He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers," President Trump said, but warned that Washington's "patience is wearing thin," suggesting that should the conflict escalate, the US might even consider killing the Ayatollah.
A few days earlier, in a post on his social media account on Truth Social, Trump had said "I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to "just do it," but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn't get it done. I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come - And they know how to use it."
The US President reminded Khamenei that several "Iranian hardliner's spoke bravely, but they didn't know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse!"
The conflict between Israel and Iran has spiralled since Friday, when Tel Aviv carried out precision air strikes on Iran's military and nuclear facilities. Tehran reponded by firing hundreds of ballistic missiles across Israel, targeting mostly civilian areas, including big cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Israel had vowed to respond to the escalation by Iran and cautioned the residents of Tehran that Tel Aviv's response may result in some civilain casualties, though civilians are not Israel's primary target. Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz had said, "While there is no intention to physically harm the residents of Tehran as the murderous dictator does against the residents of Israel, the residents of Tehran will be forced to pay the price of dictatorship and evacuate their homes from areas where it will be necessary to attack regime targets and security infrastructure in Tehran. We will continue to protect the residents of Israel."
