Israel conflict
\nIran supreme leader warns US of \u2018irreparable damage\u2019 if it intervenes
\n tehran
\nIran\u2019s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday the nation would never surrender as demanded by President Donald Trump and warned the United States it would face \u201cirreparable damage\u201d if it intervenes in support of its ally.
\nThe speech came six days into the conflict, with Trump demanding Iran\u2019s \u201cunconditional surrender\u201d while boasting the United States could kill Khamenei and fuelling speculation about a possible intervention.
\nThe long-range blitz began Friday, when Israel launched a massive bombing campaign that prompted Iran to respond with missiles and drones.
\n\u201cThis nation will never surrender,\u201d Khamenei said in a speech read on state television, in which he called Trump\u00b4s ultimatum \u201cunacceptable\u201d.
\n\u201cAmerica should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage,\u201d he said.
\nEarlier, Khamenei vowed that Iran would show \u201cno mercy\u201d to its longtime archfoe, shortly after US President Donald Trump called for Tehran\u2019s \u201cunconditional surrender.\u201d
\n\u201cWe must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime. We will show the Zionists no mercy,\u201d Khamenei posted on X.
\nThe speech followed a night of strikes, with Israeli attacks destroying two buildings making centrifuge components for Iran\u2019s nuclear programme near Tehran, according to the UN nuclear watchdog.
\n\u201cMore than 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets… carried out a series of air strikes in the Tehran area over the past few hours,\u201d the Israeli military said, adding that several weapons manufacturing facilities were hit.
\n\u201cAs part of the broad effort to disrupt Iran\u00b4s nuclear weapons development programme, a centrifuge production facility in Tehran was targeted.\u201d
\nCentrifuges are vital for uranium enrichment, the sensitive process that can produce fuel for reactors or, in highly extended form, the core of a nuclear warhead.
\nThe strikes destroyed two buildings making centrifuge components for Iran\u00b4s nuclear programme in Karaj, a satellite city of Tehran, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
\nIran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards said they had launched hypersonic Fattah-1 missiles at Tel Aviv.
\nHypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept.
\nIran also sent a \u201cswarm of drones\u201d towards Israel, while the Israeli military said it had intercepted a total of 10 drones launched from Iran.
\nIt said one of its own drones had been shot down over Iran.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Israel conflict Iran supreme leader warns US of \u2018irreparable damage\u2019 if it intervenes tehran Iran\u2019s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday the nation would never surrender as demanded by President Donald Trump and warned the United States it would face \u201cirreparable damage\u201d if it intervenes in support of its ally. The speech came six […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":485075,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-485052","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n