IRAN’S supreme leader on Wednesday rejected US calls for surrender in the face of blistering Israeli strikes and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause “irreparable damage” to them, in recorded video aired by state TV. It was the second public appearance by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei since the strikes began, and came a day after US President Donald Trump demanded “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” in a social media post and warned Khamenei that the US knows where he is but has no plans to kill him, “at least not for now”.

 

Trump initially distanced himself from Israel’s surprise attack on Friday that triggered the conflict, but in recent days has hinted at greater American involvement, saying he wants something “much bigger” than a ceasefire. The US has also sent moremilitary aircraft and warships tothe region. Khamenei dismissed the“threatening and absurd statements” by Trump. “Wise individuals who knowIran, its people, and its historynever speak to this nation withthe language of threats, becausethe Iranian nation is not one tosurrender,” he said. “Americansshould know that any militaryinvolvement by the US will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage to them.” A state TV anchor had readKhamenei’s statement earlier, before the video was aired.

 

Iranfollowed a similar sequence inreleasing an earlier statementfrom the supreme leader, perhapsas a security measure. His location is not known His voice echoed as he sat in a room with beige curtains. An Iranian flag and a portrait of Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, hung behind him. An Iranian official had earlier warned that US intervention would risk “all-out war”. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei did not elaborate, but thousands of American troops are based in nearby countries within range of Iran’s weapons. The US has threatened a massive response to any attack. Another Iranian official said the country would keep enriching uranium for peaceful purposes, apparently ruling out Trump’s demands that Iran give up its disputed nuclear programme.

 

STRIKES IN AND AROUND TEHRAN: The latest Israeli strikes hit a facility used to make uranium centrifuges and another that made missile components, the Israeli military said. It said it had intercepted 10 missiles overnight as Iran’s retaliatory barrages diminish. The UN nuclear watchdog said, Israel had struck two centrifuge production facilities in and near Tehran. The Israeli military said, it also carried out strikes in western Iran, hitting missile storage sites and a loaded missile launcher. Israeli strikes have hit several nuclear and military sites, killing top Generals and nuclear scientists. A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 585 people, including 239 civilians, have been killed and more than 1,300 wounded. Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones in retaliatory strikes that have killed at least 24 people in Israel and wounded hundreds.