Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a stark warning on Monday, declaring that any military strike by the U.S. or Israel would trigger a "firm retaliatory strike" from Tehran.
The televised remarks came in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent threat to bomb Iran unless it agrees to a nuclear disarmament deal.
While Khamenei dismissed the likelihood of an imminent conflict as "highly unlikely," his statement underscores escalating tensions between the two nations.
The standoff follows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s refusal last week to engage in direct talks with Washington amid ongoing U.S. "military threats"—a stance reinforced by Trump’s NBC News interview, where he warned, "if they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing."
The exchange highlights the precarious state of diplomacy as both sides brace for potential confrontation.
Why It Matters:
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Nuclear Stalemate: Iran continues to resist U.S. pressure to abandon its nuclear program.
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Threat of Escalation: Trump’s blunt rhetoric and Khamenei’s retaliatory pledge raise risks of miscalculation.
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Diplomatic Deadlock: Tehran’s refusal to negotiate under threat complicates de-escalation efforts.
Context: The U.S. has maintained crippling sanctions on Iran since withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal, while Tehran has incrementally breached the pact’s limits in protest.
Bloomberg previously reported that Trump had set a two-month deadline for Iran to negotiate a new deal or risk military consequences. In 2018, Trump pulled the US out of the original accord, which had imposed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. Since then, Iran has been building its inventory of uranium enriched just below weapons grade.