New Delhi: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday warned that any US-led war against Iran would escalate into a wider regional conflict.
Addressing a large gathering in Tehran, Khamenei said Iran does not seek war. However, he stressed that the country would respond with force to any attack.
“Any strike on the Islamic Republic will face a powerful response,” he said.
The remarks came as army personnel gathered at the Imam Khomeini Mausoleum. They renewed their allegiance to the ideals of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, according to Tehran Times.
Khamenei said US threats were nothing new. He added that Iran would not be intimidated by warships, aircraft, or military pressure.
He also claimed that recent unrest in Iran was a coup-like plot. According to him, it aimed to damage sensitive government installations.
Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf criticised European states. He said Iran would treat EU armies as terrorist groups.
The warning followed moves in Europe to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. Ghalibaf said European nations would bear responsibility for the consequences.
