Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned on Monday that the United States would face a strong retaliation if it acted on President Donald Trump’s threat over Iran’s nuclear deal.
According to Reports, Trump reiterated on Sunday that Iran would be bombed if it did not accept his offer for negotiations. This offer, outlined in a letter sent to Iran’s leadership in early March, gave Tehran a two-month deadline to respond.
Trump also warned Iran of potential bombings and secondary tariffs if it refused to reach a new nuclear agreement with Washington.
“The hostility from the U.S. and Israel has always existed. They threaten us with attacks, which we do not consider very likely, but if they engage in any mischief, they will certainly face a strong retaliatory response.
“And if they attempt to create unrest within the country, as they have in previous years, the Iranian people will handle them accordingly,” Khamenei stated.
Iranian authorities have blamed Western nations for previous unrest, including the 2022-2023 protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, who was detained for allegedly violating hijab rules, as well as the 2019 demonstrations over fuel price hikes.
Last week, Iran formally responded to the U.S. letter. President Masoud Pezeshkian stated on Sunday that while Tehran would not engage in direct talks with Washington, it was open to indirect negotiations, in line with Khamenei’s directive.
During his first term (2017-2021), Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear agreement, which had imposed strict limits on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. He then reimposed sweeping sanctions on Iran.
Since then, Iran has significantly exceeded the deal’s restrictions on uranium enrichment.
Western nations accuse Iran of secretly advancing its nuclear program with the aim of developing weapons, enriching uranium beyond levels necessary for civilian use.
However, Tehran maintains that its nuclear activities are solely for peaceful energy production.