Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Monday that Iran would launch a “strong counterattack” in response to any attack from the US.
Khamenei’s comments came a day after President Trump threatened Iran with a “bombing the likes of which they have never seen before” if a deal is not reached on Tehran’s civilian nuclear program.
“They threaten to do mischief,” Khamenei said during a speech commemorating Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. “If it is carried out, they will definitely receive a strong counterattack.”
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said that it summoned Switzerland’s envoy in Iran, who acts as a mediator between Washington and Tehran, to protest Trump’s threat and Israel’s actions in the region.
Also on Monday, a high-ranking Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) commander noted that there are 10 US bases near Iran, which are in range of Iranian missiles.
“The Americans have 10 bases in the region, particularly around Iran, and 50,000 troops based in there,” said Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC’s aerospace force. “This means they are sitting in a glass house, and when one sits in a glass house, one does not throw stones at others.”
Trump’s threat came as the US is deploying more bombers to the region and carrying out daily airstrikes in Yemen. The president previously said he would blame Iran for each Houthi attack, even though US officials have acknowledged the Houthis act independently and are unlikely to take orders from Tehran.
Trump’s threat also came after US intelligence agencies reaffirmed there’s no evidence Iran is building a nuclear weapon or that Khamenei has decided to reverse his ban on developing weapons of mass destruction.
Iran recently responded to a letter Trump sent to Khamenei proposing nuclear talks. In its response, Tehran ruled out direct negotiations in the face of increasing US sanctions under Trump’s so-called “maximum pressure campaign” but left the door open to indirect talks.
