Tehran [Iran], June 19 : Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged his nation to stand strong against perceived threats from enemies, particularly in the context of the ongoing conflict with Israel.
https://x.com/khamenei_ir/status/1935662104192937992
Sharing a post on X, he wrote. "I would like to tell our dear nation that if the enemy senses that you fear them, they won't let go of you. Continue the very behaviour you have had up to this day; continue this behaviour with strength."
Earlier, Khamenei firmly rejected US President Donald Trump's call for an "unconditional surrender," warning of dire consequences if the United States intervenes militarily in Israel's escalating war with Iran, according to The New York Times.
"Intelligent people who know Iran, the nation and the history of Iran, will never speak to this nation in the language of threats, because the Iranian nation cannot be surrendered," Ayatollah Khamenei said in a televised address.
"The Americans should know that any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage."
Earlier, Israel Defence Minister Israel Katz while visiting the site of a missile strike at a hospital in Holon, said that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is "the modern Hitler" and "cannot continue to exist," The Times of Israel reported.
Katz said that under the IDF's war goals, "Without question this man should not continue to exist."
"A dictator like Khamenei, who heads a country like Iran and has made the destruction of the State of Israel his declared goal, this horrific goal of destroying Israel, cannot be allowed to continue or materialize." The Times of Israel quoted him as saying.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said the US might still consider joining the Israeli military offensive against Iran, stating, "Nobody knows what I'm going to do."
Despite heightened tensions, US and Iranian officials issued mixed signals regarding diplomatic engagement. Trump claimed that Iran had reached out for potential talks and reiterated that "nothing's too late" for a nuclear agreement.
Earlier in the day, Israeli army spokesperson Effie Defrin said in a statement that Israel has struck "hundreds" of surface-to-surface missile launchers in Iran and put them out of commission.
However, he added that Iran "still has the capability to launch missiles as it did this morning" and emphasised that "civilian behaviour is the primary defence and saves lives."
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