Khamenei says Iran will ‘never surrender', warns off US
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the US it would face 'irreparable damage' if it intervenes in support of Israel. (EPA Images pic)
TEHRAN : Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday the nation would never surrender as demanded by President Donald Trump and warned the US it would face 'irreparable damage' if it intervenes in support of its ally.
The speech came six days into the conflict, with Trump demanding Iran's 'unconditional surrender' while boasting the US could kill Khamenei and fuelling speculation about a possible intervention.
The long-range blitz began Friday, when Israel launched a massive bombing campaign that prompted Iran to respond with missiles and drones.
'This nation will never surrender,' Khamenei said in a speech read on state television, in which he called Trump's ultimatum 'unacceptable'.
'America should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage,' he said.
Khamenei, in power since 1989 and the final arbiter of all matters of state in Iran, had earlier vowed the country would show 'no mercy' towards Israel's leaders.
The speech followed a night of strikes, with Israeli attacks destroying two buildings making centrifuge components for Iran's nuclear programme near Tehran, according to the UN nuclear watchdog.
'More than 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets… carried out a series of air strikes in the Tehran area over the past few hours,' the Israeli military said, adding that several weapons manufacturing facilities were hit.
'As part of the broad effort to disrupt Iran's nuclear weapons development programme, a centrifuge production facility in Tehran was targeted.'
Centrifuges are vital for uranium enrichment, the sensitive process that can produce fuel for reactors or, in highly extended form, the core of a nuclear warhead.
The strikes destroyed two buildings making centrifuge components for Iran's nuclear programme in Karaj, a satellite city of Tehran, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
In another strike on a site in Tehran, 'one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested', the agency added in a post on X.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had launched hypersonic Fattah-1 missiles at Tel Aviv.
Hypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept.
No missile struck Tel Aviv overnight, though AFP photos showed Israel's air defence systems activated to intercept missiles over the commercial hub.
Iran also sent a 'swarm of drones' towards Israel, while the Israeli military said it had intercepted a total of 10 drones launched from Iran.
It said one of its own drones had been shot down over Iran.
'Unconditional surrender'
Trump fuelled speculation about US intervention when he made a hasty exit from the G7 summit in Canada, where the leaders of the club of wealthy democracies called for de-escalation but backed Israel's 'right to defend itself'.
He boasted that the US could easily assassinate Khamenei.
'We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Trump met with his National Security Council to discuss the conflict. There was no immediate public statement after the hour and 20 minute meeting.
US officials stressed Trump has not yet made a decision about any intervention.
Evacuations
Israel's attacks have hit nuclear and military facilities around Iran, as well as residential areas.
Residential areas in Israel have also been hit, and foreign governments have scrambled to evacuate their citizens from both countries.
Many Israelis spent another night disrupted by air raid warnings, with residents of coastal hub Tel Aviv repeatedly heading for shelters when sirens rang out warning of incoming Iranian missiles.
In the West Bank city of Ramallah, perched at 800m above sea level and with a view over Tel Aviv, some residents gathered on rooftops and balconies to watch.
An AFP journalist reported cheers and whistles as dozens of missiles flew overhead, with Israeli air defences activating to intercept them, causing mid-air explosions which lit up the sky.
Since Friday, at least 24 people have been killed in Israel and hundreds wounded, according to Netanyahu's office.
Iran said on Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. It has not issued an updated toll since then.
On Tuesday in Tehran, long queues stretched outside bakeries and petrol stations as people rushed to stock up on fuel and basic supplies.
Iran's ISNA and Tasnim news agencies on Wednesday reported that five suspected agents of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency had been detained, on charges of tarnishing the country's image online.
Nuclear facilities
After a prolonged shadow war, Israel said its surprise air campaign was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons — an ambition Tehran denies.
The UN nuclear watchdog said there appeared to have been 'direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls' at Iran's Natanz facility.
Israel has maintained ambiguity regarding its own atomic activities, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says it has 90 nuclear warheads.
The conflict derailed a running series of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington, with Iran saying after the start of Israel's campaign that it would not negotiate with the US while under attack.
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