The supreme leader has warned that US warships sent to the Persian Gulf will not scare Tehran and could eventually sink.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has criticized US President Donald Trump’s comments about “regime change” in Tehran, declaring that the American leader will fail to destroy the nation, just as previous US leaders have.
Although Washington has been urging Tehran to abandon its nuclear program and accept a “zero enrichment” policy, Iran has maintained that such activities are its fundamental right.
Trump said last week that regime change in Iran “would be the best thing that could happen,” as a large US military force assembled in the Persian Gulf.
During a televised address on Tuesday, as officials from Washington and Tehran held nuclear negotiations in Geneva, Khamenei proclaimed that the US will fail in its attempts to destroy the country.
“In a recent speech, the US president noted that for 47 years America has failed to destroy the Islamic Republic… I say to you: You will not succeed either,” Khamenei declared.
Efforts to bully Iran into surrender will also fail, the supreme leader cautioned, hinting that the extra naval forces Washington has deployed to the region might themselves be targeted. “A warship is undoubtedly a dangerous weapon, but even more dangerous is the weapon that can sink it,” he remarked.
Relations between Washington and Tehran have been extremely tense since last June, when the US struck Iran’s nuclear facilities following a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran. The US has sent more naval and air resources to the Middle East, including a second aircraft carrier. American leaders have repeatedly threatened military action against Iran and openly supported violent protests that swept the country in late December and early January, which were sparked by a collapsing national currency and rampant inflation.
Meanwhile, both parties have been holding indirect discussions in Oman, which Iran has described as a “good start.” Senior Iranian officials have frequently indicated that the country wants to reach a “fair and equitable agreement” with the US regarding its nuclear program, showing willingness to reduce uranium enrichment and dilute current stockpiles in return for sanctions relief. However, Washington has demanded that Iran completely abandon its nuclear program.