Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that if the United States attacked Iran it would turn into a regional conflict, state media reported on Sunday (1), amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran.
The US has increased its naval presence in the Middle East after the president if the country would not agree to a nuclear deal or stop killing protesters.
“(Trump) regularly says that he brought ships (…) The Iranian nation should not be frightened by these things, the Iranian people will not be agitated by these threats,” Khamenei said.
“We are not the initiators and we do not want to attack any country, but the Iranian nation will strike a strong blow against anyone who attacks and intimidates them.”
A diplomatic solution remains an alternative, with Tehran saying it is ready if it does not seek to reduce its defensive capabilities.
The US Navy currently has six destroyers, one aircraft carrier and three littoral combat ships in the region.
The protests, which began in late December because of economic hardship but turned into the most acute political challenge to the Islamic Republic since its creation in 1979, have now subsided following the crackdown.
Official estimates put the death toll related to the riot at 3,117, while the US-based human rights group HRANA said on Sunday (1) that it has so far verified the deaths of 6,713 people.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the figures.
Khamenei likened the protests to a “coup”, saying the aim of “sedition” was to attack the centers that govern the country, state media reported.
