Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Monday that the U.S. would face a reciprocal blow if it follows through on President Trump’s threat to bomb Tehran unless a new nuclear deal is reached.
Trump reaffirmed his threat on Sunday, stating that Iran could possibly be bombed if it refused his offer for talks, which was outlined in a letter sent to Iranian leadership in early March. The letter gave Tehran a two-month deadline to respond.
Khamenei addressed the threat by stating, “The enmity from the U.S. and Israel has always been there. They threaten to attack us, which we don’t think is very probable, but if they commit any mischief they will surely receive a strong reciprocal blow.” He added that if the U.S. attempts to incite unrest within Iran, “the Iranian people themselves will deal with them.”
Iran responded to the U.S. letter last week, with President Masoud Pezeshkian stating on Sunday that Tehran would not engage in direct negotiations with Washington but remained open to indirect talks as instructed by Khamenei.
During Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021, he withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, which had placed strict limits on Iran’s nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief. Trump also reinstated comprehensive U.S. sanctions, after which Iran significantly exceeded the agreement’s uranium enrichment limits.
Western powers have accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons by enriching uranium to levels beyond those needed for civilian energy. Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful, civilian purposes.
