Iran’s Supreme Leader Threatens Immediate Response to Any U.S. or Israeli Attack

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has threatened an immediate response to any potential attack from the United States or Israel, even as diplomatic efforts continue to reduce the risk of a return to all-out war. According to the official IRNA news agency, Khamenei said that “any kind and level of threat” from either country should face an immediate response without geographic limits. State media said he made the comments while meeting with the military, and that he called for an updated list of potential U.S. and Israeli targets. The war began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28. State media said Khamenei, who became supreme leader after the first wave of strikes killed his father and other high-ranking officials, has not been seen publicly since then.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said a new proposal has been reached with mediators that would shorten the time needed to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz to two days, and that talks with mediators remain on track. Last month, Araghchi had floated a proposal to reopen the waterway within a week if the U.S. agreed to lift its blockade of Iranian ports, release frozen Iranian assets and waive sanctions on Iranian oil sales, among other conditions. That proposal was rejected.

In an interview with the Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera, Araghchi said Iran is not planning to meet with U.S. officials, but he described recent American efforts toward “broader dialogue” as a positive step. He said Iran had carefully reviewed a letter sent days earlier by U.S. Vice President JD Vance. He also said a decision on whether negotiations would be direct or indirect would be made “once Washington agrees to Iran’s conditions.”

Saudi Arabia’s vice minister of foreign affairs, Waleed ElKhereiji, said at a security forum in Bahrain that the message from the region is that it wants a return to peace. He said efforts were being made to prevent a military escalation and to reach an agreement that ends the Iran crisis. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said at the same event that an escalation in the region would be extremely destructive, adding, “We are very confident that … the second round will be more dangerous, more destructive, and it will lead to nowhere.”

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said that border security with Jordan is a shared responsibility and that a high-level meeting is expected next month to discuss arrangements. Speaking at the same Bahrain forum, al-Shibani said there are no “skirmishes” between the two countries. His comments came after Jordanian strikes in Syria raised tensions between the neighbors.

Jordan said the strikes last week killed 20 militants with the Islamic State extremist group, but acknowledged that civilians had also been killed. Syrian authorities reported that seven people were killed, most of them women and children (Psalm 82:3).

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