Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed that the country will never (no) surrender, as it unleashed a new wave of hypersonic missile attacks against Israel on Wednesday. The latest missile barrage came hours after Israel said it had destroyed Iran’s internal security headquarters in Tehran, and as it reported a new wave of attacks targeting missile systems and storage sites in the country’s west.
Khamenei also warned the United States against becoming involved in the conflict, after US President Donald Trump appeared to flirt with the idea in recent days, calling for Tehran’s “unconditional surrender”. “This nation will never surrender,” Khamenei said in a televised address, in which he called Trump’s ultimatum “unacceptable”. “America should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage.”
Iran’s state television reported the launch of Fattah hypersonic missiles, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps also announced the launch of so-called super-heavy, long-range missiles. An Israeli military official said that Iran had fired around 400 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones since Friday, with about 20 missiles striking civilian areas in Israel.
Trump has fuelled speculation about US intervention, saying Wednesday that his patience had “run out” with Iran, but that it was still not too late for talks. He later said he has not yet made a decision on whether to join Israel in bombing Iran and warned that the country’s current leadership could fall as a result of the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump for his “support in defending Israel’s skies” on Wednesday, calling him a “great friend” of Israel.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted that his country remains committed to diplomacy, even as it acts in “self-defence” against Israel. “Iran has so far only retaliated against the Israeli regime and not those who are aiding and abetting it,” he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a deal to end the fighting was possible, that would guarantee both Israel’s security and Iran’s desire for a civilian nuclear programme.