After U.S. President Donald Trump gave preliminary approval for further military action on Iranian soil, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Wednesday that “military action will exact a heavy price.” A statement from Khamenei’s media office mocked recent remarks made at Mar-a-Lago, saying: “Every additional act of foolishness carries a price different from the last.”
“The United States continues its policy of intimidation. If the American administration were wise, it would understand that it cannot address the Iranian people in the language of force and threats,” the statement said. “Our forces are on high alert. They have drawn the lessons of the 12-day war.” The comments echoed remarks by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who said that “the response to any aggression will be severe and will make you regret it.”
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War of words between Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and US President Dona; Trump continues
(Photos: Brendan Smialowski/AFP, Majdi Mohammed/AP, Planet Labs Inc./Handout via Reuters, Shutterstock)
Meanwhile, a banner was hung in Tehran’s Palestine Square reading: “Judeo-Nazis spill blood, the fire grows, and the phoenix will return.” The square, located in the city center, regularly hosts events linked to the Palestinian issue. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered there after an airstrike in Damascus that killed Hassan Mahdawi, a senior Quds Force commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and it has also been a focal point for celebrations following Iranian strikes against Israel.
At the start of his meeting Monday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said: “I hear that Iran is trying to rearm, and if they try, we will have to strike them.” Asked directly whether he would support an attack on Iran, Trump replied: “If they continue with the missile program, yes. If it’s the nuclear program, immediately. In the first case, yes. In the second case, we would do it right away. But I hear Iran wants to reach a deal. If they want to, that’s much smarter. Last time they could have made a deal before we moved forward with the strike, and they chose not to—and they regret it.”
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Banner hung in Tehran’s Palestine Square reading: 'Judeo-Nazis spill blood, the fire grows, and the phoenix will return'
(צילום: Atta Kenare / AFP)
Later, after dining together at Mar-a-Lago, Trump and Netanyahu made additional statements to the media, with the president again addressing Iran. “It’s possible they are behaving badly and rebuilding their nuclear program at sites other than those the United States struck. That hasn’t been verified—but if it is verified, they know the consequences will be significant, perhaps more than last time,” Trump said, adding that “there’s no smoke without fire.” According to Trump, “If they return to nuclear activity, there will be no peace.”
Earlier this month, a senior European official told ynet that Israel would carry out military action in Iran within the next 12 months. “Khamenei did not draw conclusions from the last round. It appears they are doubling their efforts—this is dramatic and tragic for Iran,” the official said.
Trump: 'Iran regrets not making a deal'
(Video: Reuters)
Military analyst Ron Ben-Yishai explained that two camps are effectively operating in Iran: moderates and hardline conservatives. The hardliners are demanding revenge for the humiliation suffered by the Islamic Republic in the “12-day war” and are pressing Supreme Leader Khamenei to pursue an “accelerated rehabilitation” of the military capabilities that were lost, in order to once again threaten Israel.
Both camps fear that Israel will exploit the fact that nearly all of Iran’s significant air defense systems—those that strategically protected the country from aerial attack—were destroyed during the war, and will seek to “finish what it started,” meaning to topple the regime—something U.S. President Donald Trump prevented in the final days of Operation Rising Lion.”