Iran’s Supreme Leader Warns of Regional War if US Attacks

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has warned that any military attack on the country would trigger a wider regional conflict, amid continued US military build-up near Iran.

“The Americans should know that if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war,” Khamenei was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The warning comes as US President Donald Trump said Iran was engaged in “serious discussions” that he hoped would lead to an “acceptable” outcome. Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, also confirmed that a framework for negotiations was progressing.

Tensions have risen after Trump threatened intervention over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its violent crackdown on anti-government protests. As part of its military posture, the US has deployed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to the region, with US Central Command confirming operations in the Arabian Sea.

Khamenei dismissed the US show of force, saying Iran would not be intimidated. “[Trump] regularly says that he brought ships… The Iranian nation shall not be scared by these things,” he said.

Iran had earlier been expected to conduct a two-day live-fire naval exercise in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route. However, Reuters quoted an Iranian official on Sunday as saying the Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) navy had no plans for such drills.

About one-fifth of the world’s traded oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which at its narrowest point is about 33 kilometres wide between Iran and Oman. Iran has previously threatened to close the waterway if attacked.

The US has cautioned Iran against any “unsafe and unprofessional behaviour” near American forces in the region, a warning dismissed by Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi. He accused Washington of attempting to dictate how Iran’s armed forces operate within their own territory.

Meanwhile, two explosions in Iran over the weekend heightened public anxiety. Local authorities said a blast in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, which killed one person and injured 14 others, was caused by a gas leak. Tasnim denied social media claims that an IRGC naval commander was targeted.

In a separate incident in the south-western city of Ahvaz, at least four people were killed in another explosion, which officials also blamed on a gas leak, according to Iran’s Tehran Times.

On Thursday, Trump said he had warned Iran it must meet two conditions to avoid US military action: abandon nuclear ambitions and stop killing protesters.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says it has confirmed more than 6,300 deaths since unrest began in late December, while another 17,000 reported deaths are under investigation. The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group has warned the final toll could exceed 25,000.

Protesters have told the BBC that the crackdown by security forces was unprecedented. Khamenei, however, accused protesters of attacking police, the IRGC and public facilities, saying, “The coup was suppressed.”