Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on the sixth day of the conflict between Iran and Israel, rejected US President Donald Trump's demand for unconditional surrender. In a recorded speech broadcast on Iranian television, the 86-year-old Khamenei stated that Americans «must know that any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage». «Smart people who know Iran, the Iranian people, and its history will never speak to this nation in a threatening language, because the Iranian people will not surrender», — he said. This was Khamenei's first appearance since Friday.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the world is «millimeters away from disaster» due to daily strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. Meanwhile, Donald Trump rejected Vladimir Putin's offer to mediate negotiations with Iran. «And I spoke with him [Vladimir Putin] yesterday. You know, he actually offered to help mediate. I said, do me a favor, Vladimir, let's deal with Russia first», — Trump stated.
Germany's Foreign Minister urged Iran's leaders to show readiness to find a solution through negotiations. However, even Donald Trump is tired of negotiations and deals.
On Wednesday, he refused to answer journalists' questions about whether the US plans to strike Iran or its nuclear facilities, and said that the Iranians reached out to him, but he believes that «it's already too late for negotiations, adding that he is issuing a «final ultimatum to Iran» and added: «It's simple — Tehran must surrender».
«The situation is very different now from what it was a week ago, — Trump told journalists at the White House. — Nobody knows what I'm going to do».
In response to Khamenei's statement that Iran will not surrender, Trump replied: «I'll say: «Good luck», adding that the Iranian side itself requested negotiations at the White House.
Even Iran's mission to the UN joined in the exchange of threats. «No Iranian official has ever kneeled at the gates of the White House. The only thing more disgusting than his [Donald Trump's] lies, — is the cowardly threat to «eliminate» Iran's supreme leader.
Iran does not negotiate under pressure, does not accept peace on terms of pressure, and certainly will not do so with a retired warmonger desperately clinging to remnants of influence. Iran will respond to any threat with a counter-threat, and to any action with reciprocal measures», — stated in a post on the mission's social media account X.
Meanwhile, Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the destruction of Iran's «internal security headquarters», responsible for repression in the country. «The tornado continues to hit Tehran. Air Force planes have just destroyed the internal security headquarters of the Iranian regime — the main body of suppression of the Iranian dictator», — Katz wrote. Shortly before this, the Israel Defense Forces reported that the air force is striking military targets of the Iranian regime in Tehran.
Photo: Reuters