After Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the United States that any attack on the country would spark a “regional war” in the Middle East, US President Donald Trump said that if Tehran does not make a deal with Washington, then he’ll find out whether the Iranian leader was right about his caution.
Khamenei’s warning to Trump came amid the increasing strain in Iran’s ties with the US. The Supreme Leader visited the shrine of Ruhollah Khomeini, the Islamic Republic’s founder, in southern Tehran, in a rare public appearance on Saturday. Follow live updates on Iran-US tensions
A day later, he responded to Trump’s threats of a military strike and said there would be a “regional war” in the Middle East in case of an attack. “The Americans should know that if they start a war, this time will be a regional war,” Khamenei said.
“We are not the instigators, we are not going to be unfair to anyone, we don’t plan to attack any country. But if anyone shows greed and wants to attack or harass, the Iranian nation will deal a heavy blow to them,” the Iranian Supreme Leader was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.
Khamenei also said that Iran would not be scared by Trump’s threats of having ships in the Middle East, adding that Iranians would not be stirred by these threats.
When asked about the warning, Trump told reporters on Sunday that the US has the “biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there, very close, a couple of days, and hopefully we’ll make a deal”.
“If we don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether or not he (Khamenei) was right,” Trump added.
Trump recently sent the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and accompanying warships in the Arabian Sea, near the Iranian region, amid his warnings to Tehran to stop the violent crackdown on protestors and make a nuclear deal with Washington.
While it remains unclear whether the US President will use force, he has repeatedly claimed that Iran wants to negotiate and has brought up Tehran’s nuclear programme as another issue he wants resolved.
Earlier on Saturday, Trump declined to comment on whether he had reached a decision on what he wanted to do about Iran. He further stated that Iran should negotiate a “satisfactory” deal to prevent the Middle Eastern country from getting any nuclear weapons, but said, “I don’t know that they will. But they are talking to us. Seriously talking to us.”
Iran protests and violent crackdown
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has reported that the violent crackdown on protestors in Iran has so far killed at least 6,713 people, adding that authorities have detained more than 49,500 people.
The Iranian government placed the death toll at 3,117, including 2,427 civilians and security forces, as of January 21.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei termed the nationwide protests a “coup”, hardening his position on the demonstrations.
“The recent sedition was similar to a coup. Of course, the coup was suppressed,” he said.
Khamenei further stated, “Their goal was to destroy sensitive and effective centers involved in running the country, and for this reason they attacked the police, government centers, (Revolutionary Guard) facilities, banks and mosques — and burned copies of the Quran. They targeted centers that run the country.”
Sedition charges in Iran can reportedly carry the death penalty, which again raises the fears of mass executions of those arrested in Tehran — a red line for US President Donald Trump.
www.hindustantimes.com
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