Khamenei Warns U.S. Strike on Iran Would Trigger Regional War Amid Protest Crackdown
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that any U.S. strike would spark a "regional war," saying Iran would not start a conflict but would "deal a heavy blow" to any aggressor and accusing Washington of seeking to seize Iran's oil, gas and mineral resources; President Trump said he had not decided on strikes and urged Iran to negotiate. Khamenei also described nationwide protests as a "sedition" akin to a coup that targeted police, Revolutionary Guard facilities, banks, mosques and Qurans, while the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reports 6,713 deaths and at least 49,500 detentions in the crackdown, compared with Iran's claim of 3,117 dead, many labeled "terrorists."
📌 Key Facts
- Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that any new U.S. attack on Iran would be different from past conflicts and "if they wage a war this time, it will be a regional war," while saying Iran would not start a war but would "deal a heavy blow" to any aggressor.
- Khamenei accused the United States of seeking to seize Iran’s oil, gas and mineral resources, saying Washington wants to "seize this country, just as they controlled it before."
- Khamenei hardened his line on nationwide protests, calling them a "sedition" akin to a coup and accusing protesters of targeting police, Revolutionary Guard facilities, banks and mosques and of burning Qurans.
- The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says it has verified 6,713 deaths and at least 49,500 detentions in the crackdown; Iran’s government reports 3,117 dead and labels many of those killed as "terrorists."
- Former President Donald Trump told reporters en route to Florida that he has not decided whether to strike Iran now, saying "they are talking to us," and urged Iran to negotiate a "satisfactory" deal to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
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- Khamenei framed any new U.S. attack as different from past conflicts, saying, "if they wage a war this time, it will be a regional war," while insisting Iran would not start a war but would "deal a heavy blow" to any aggressor.
- He accused the U.S. of seeking Iran’s oil, gas and mineral resources, claiming Washington wants to "seize this country, just as they controlled it before."
- Trump told reporters en route to Florida that he has not said whether he will strike Iran now, but that "they are talking to us. Seriously talking to us," and repeated that Iran should negotiate a "satisfactory" deal to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons.
- Khamenei hardened his line on the nationwide protests, calling them a "sedition" akin to a coup that targeted police, Revolutionary Guard facilities, banks, mosques and even burned Qurans.
- The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency now says it has verified 6,713 deaths and at least 49,500 detentions in the crackdown, while Iran’s government still claims only 3,117 dead, of whom it labels many 'terrorists.'