Iran’s supreme leader on Wednesday rejected U.S. calls for surrender in the face of more Israeli strikes and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause “irreparable damage to them.” European diplomats prepared to hold talks with Iran on Friday.
The second public appearance by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei since the Israeli strikes began last Friday came as Israel lifted some restrictions on daily life, suggesting that the missile threat from Iran was easing.
Khamenei spoke a day after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded in a social media post that Iran surrender without conditions and warned Khamenei that the U.S. knows where he is but has no plans to kill him, “at least not for now.”
Trump initially distanced himself from Israel’s surprise attack on Friday that triggered the conflict, but in recent days he has hinted at greater American involvement, saying he wants something “much bigger” than a ceasefire. The U.S. has also sent more military aircraft and warships to the region.
Senior European diplomats were set to hold nuclear talks with Iran on Friday in Geneva, according to a European official familiar with the matter.
The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity to discuss matters freely, said the meeting would include high-ranking diplomats from Germany, France and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union’s top diplomat.
Separately, the UN Security Council scheduled a second emergency meeting on the Israel-Iran conflict for Friday at the request of Russia, China and Pakistan. Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to help mediate a resolution, suggesting Moscow could help negotiate a settlement allowing Tehran to pursue a peaceful atomic program while assuaging Israeli security concerns.
“In my view, a solution could be found,” Putin said Wednesday at a session with journalists.
Israeli PM highlights Trump’s support
In a video address to Israelis, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed appreciation for Trump’s support in the conflict, calling him “a great friend of Israel” and praising U.S. help defending Israel’s skies.
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“We speak constantly, including last night,” Netanyahu said Wednesday. “We had a very warm conversation.”
Khamenei dismissed the “threatening and absurd statements” by Trump.
“Wise individuals who know Iran, its people and its history never speak to this nation with the language of threats, because the Iranian nation is not one to surrender,” he said in a low-resolution video, his voice echoing.
“Americans should know that any military involvement by the U.S. will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage to them.”
Iran released Khamenei’s statement before the video was aired, perhaps as a security measure. His location is not known, and it was impossible to discern from the tight shot, which showed only beige curtains, an Iranian flag and a portrait of Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Khamenei’s immediate predecessor, who died in 1989.
An Iranian diplomat had warned earlier Wednesday that U.S. intervention would risk “all-out war.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei did not elaborate, but thousands of American troops are based in nearby countries within range of Iran’s weapons. The U.S. has threatened a massive response to any attack.
U.S. President Donald Trump has consistently denied his country’s involvement in the intensifying conflict between Israel and Iran. But Andrew Chang explains the role the U.S. has already played — and the extent to which that involvement may still increase.
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Another Iranian official said the country would keep enriching uranium for peaceful purposes, apparently ruling out Trump’s demands that Iran give up its disputed nuclear program.
Meanwhile, Iranian state TV reported late Wednesday that it was under a cyberattack by Israel.
Social media users reported that the regular broadcast on state TV was briefly interrupted and replaced with an anti-government video urging people to take to the streets. After the normal broadcast resumed, a message on the screen said: “If you see an irrelevant message on the screen, it’s due to a cyberattack by the Zionist regime.”
Strikes in Tehran, western Iran
Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told a news conference Wednesday that Israel launched three waves of aerial attacks in the last 24 hours, deploying dozens of warplanes to strike over 60 targets in Tehran and western Iran, including missile launchers, weapon-production sites and a facility that he said produced anti-tank missiles for Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military also struck the headquarters of Iran’s internal security forces, without specifying the agency or location. The strike marks a shift toward targeting Iran’s domestic security apparatus, which has long cracked down on dissent and suppressed protests.
Iran’s police force acknowledged the strike hours later, saying that Israel hit its central command buildings in Tehran and wounded some officers, without saying how many.
In addition, the UN nuclear watchdog agency said Israel hit two centrifuge-production facilities in and near Tehran.
Israel’s air campaign has struck several nuclear and military sites, killing top generals and nuclear scientists.
A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 585 people, including 239 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1,300 wounded.
In retaliation, Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones, killing at least 24 people in Israel and wounding hundreds. Some have hit apartment buildings in central Israel, causing heavy damage.
Iran firing fewer missiles
Israeli military officials said their defences intercepted 10 missiles overnight and several more Wednesday evening as Iran’s retaliatory barrages diminished. Air-raid sirens forced Israelis to run for shelter. There were no reports of injuries.
Iran has fired fewer missiles as the conflict has worn on. It has not explained the decline, but Israel has targeted launchers and other infrastructure related to the missiles.
As It Happens6:32Why this professor is staying in Tehran as Israeli bombs rain down
Since Israel began bombing Iran on Friday, both it and the U.S. have told people in Tehran to pack up and leave the capital. Foad Izadi, a professor of international affairs at the University of Tehran, told As It Happens host Nil Köksal he’s not going anywhere.
Some U.S. diplomats and their families at the U.S. embassy in Israel were evacuated Wednesday, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe sensitive diplomatic movements. A number of them left on a government plane shortly before U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced that the embassy was making evacuation plans for private American citizens, the officials said.
By Wednesday, Israel eased some of the restrictions that it had imposed on civilians when Iran launched its retaliatory attack, allowing gatherings of up to 30 people and letting workplaces reopen as long as there is a shelter nearby.
Schools are closed, and many business remain shuttered, but Israel’s decision to reverse its ban on gatherings and office work signals confidence that its attacks have limited Iran’s missile capabilities.