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Iran’s supreme leader issued a stern warning on Sunday, cautioning that any United States military action could ignite a “regional war” in the Middle East. This pronouncement adds to the growing tension, following President Donald Trump’s threats of a potential military strike against the Islamic Republic.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, aged 86, delivered this stark warning at a time when the USS Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by other American warships, is stationed in the Arabian Sea. This deployment was a response by President Trump to Iran’s harsh suppression of widespread protests across the nation.
The possibility of Trump resorting to military action remains uncertain. He has consistently claimed that Iran is seeking to negotiate and has highlighted Iran’s nuclear program as a critical issue that requires resolution.
Khamenei’s remarks also labeled the ongoing protests as “a coup,” signaling a toughened stance by the government. Reports indicate that tens of thousands have been detained since the demonstrations began.
Charges of sedition in Iran can result in the death penalty, raising alarms about the potential for mass executions of those arrested—a development that President Trump has indicated would be an unacceptable breach.
Iran had also planned a live-fire military drill for Sunday and Monday in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil traded passes.
The US military’s Central Command had warned against threatening American warships or aircraft during the drill or disrupting commercial traffic.
Khamenei warns US
Iranian state television reported Khamenei’s comments online before airing any footage of his remarks.
“The Americans should know that if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war,” Khamenei was quoted as saying.
It added that Khamenei said: “We are not the instigators and we do not seek to attack any country. But the Iranian nation will deliver a firm blow to anyone who attacks or harasses it.”
Khamenei also hardened his position on the demonstrations after earlier acknowledging some people had legitimate economic grievances that sparked their protests. The demonstrations began Dec. 28, initially over the collapse of Iran’s rial currency. It soon grew into a direct challenge to Khamenei’s rule.
“The recent sedition was similar to a coup. Of course, the coup was suppressed,” he said. “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.”
Parliament speaker says EU militaries considered terrorist groups.
The speaker of Iran’s parliament, meanwhile, said that the Islamic Republic now considers all European Union militaries to be terrorist groups, lashing out after the bloc declared the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard a terror group over its bloody crackdown on nationwide protests.
Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a former Guard commander, announced the terror designation, which will likely be mostly symbolic.
Iran has used a 2019 law to reciprocally declare other nations’ militaries terror groups following the United States declaration of the Guard a terror group that year.
Qalibaf made the announcement as he and others in parliament wore Guard uniforms in support of the force. The Guard, which also controls Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal and has vast economic interests in Iran, answers only to Iran’s 86-year-old Khamenei.
“By seeking to strike at the (Guard), which itself has been the greatest barrier to the spread of terrorism to Europe, Europeans have in fact shot themselves in the foot and, once again, through blind obedience to the Americans, decided against the interests of their own people,” Qalibaf said.
Lawmakers at the session later chanted: “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” at the session.
Trump says Iran is ‘seriously talking’ to US
Trump has laid out two red lines for military action: the killing of peaceful protesters or the possible mass execution of those detained in a major crackdown over the demonstrations.
He’s increasingly begun discussing Iran’s nuclear program as well, which the US negotiated over with Tehran in multiple sessions before Israel launched a 12-day war with Iran back in June.
The US bombed three Iranian nuclear sites during the war. Activity at two of the sites suggests Iran may be trying to obscure the view of satellites as it tries to salvage what remains there.
Trump on Saturday night declined to say whether he’d made a decision on what he wanted to do regarding Iran.
Speaking to reporters as he flew to Florida, Trump sidestepped a question about whether Tehran would be emboldened if the US backed away from launching strikes on Iran, saying, “Some people think that. Some people don’t.”
Trump said 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.”
Ali Larijani, a top security official in Iran, wrote on X late Saturday that “structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing.” However, there is no public sign of any direct talks with the United States, something Khamenei has repeatedly ruled out.