Iran's Supreme Leader issues chilling threat to US and Israel amid uneasy truce
With a deal between the US, Israel and Iran still a long way apart, it's looking likely that strikes and attacks will resume in the coming days.
It seems as if the two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran could be over sooner than expected, with the Middle Eastern country opting to once again close the Strait of Hormuz in response to the continued US blockade of Iranian ports.
Donald Trump has already posted his fair share of warnings to Iran on social media, threatening to send the country back to the 'Stone Ages', while both he and vice president JD Vance have implied that nuclear weapons are available if they are deemed to be needed.
Although Trump perhaps forced Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hand when it came to the agreed ceasefire, which came at the last minute following the US president's ominous warning, Iran has now issued a strong statement of its own.
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The Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has posted online about how Iran's army is remaining strong, in one of his first public messages in his new role, which he assumed after his father was killed in one of the first round of US strikes, which also left him gravely injured in hospital and saw him lose a leg.
“Just as Iran’s drones strike like lightning against the US and Zionist criminals, Israel, the brave navy is also prepared to inflict new bitter defeat on enemies,” a post from Khamanei’s Telegram account read.
Another post added: "The Army is like the nation’s child, which arises from within the heart of the people’s homes.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army is now courageously defending the land, water, and flag that belong to it."
Despite previous claims from the White House that this war was something of a formality and that Iran had very little left to give, the Supreme Leader's latest posts suggest that this conflict is far from over.
He added: “Iran’s Army is standing side by side with their comrades from other armed forces, battling the two leading armies of disbelief and Arrogance.
“And the Islamic Army has exposed those armies’ weakness and humiliation to the world,” Khamenei claimed.
However, Trump's recent quotes certainly dispute the claims made by Khamenei, as he told reporters in Maryland earlier this week that Iran's military was 'destroyed' and that 'their whole navy is underwater'.
He added: “I think Iran is in very bad shape. I think they’re pretty desperate … We had a meeting that lasted 21 hours. We understand the situation better than anybody, and Iran’s in very bad shape.”
Although many are desperate to avoid any sort of nuclear conflict, given the horrific consequences of the atomic bombs that were dropped in Japan at the end of World War Two, Trump's previous comments certainly suggest that weapons of mass destruction could be an option should no solution be found.
Ahead of the ceasefire agreement, he wrote: "A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again.
"I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalised minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?"
Topics: Iran, Israel, Donald Trump
James Moorhouse