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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday blamed the United States and Israel for plotting a scheme to destabilize the Islamic Republic, calling the struggle against both countries “praiseworthy.
In a statement posted on his official website, Khamenei claimed that Israel’s 12-day assault last month not only sought to hit Iranian targets but also to incite riots and instigate regime change in Tehran. “The calculation and plan of the aggressors was to weaken the system by targeting certain figures and sensitive centres in Iran,” he stated.
Khamenei threatened that Israel and its partners “have to make a change in their attitude before they are totally annihilated,” warning in strong words as tensions in the region mount.
The comments come after Israel’s June 13 raids, which Iranian officials claim killed more than 1,000 individuals, including top military leaders and nuclear experts. The raids were a sudden intensification of fighting, prompting an aggressive Iranian counterattack by drone and missile, which Israeli officials said killed 28 individuals.
The dispute started only two days ahead of the US and Iran’s scheduled sixth round of nuclear talks negotiations that have since been frozen. Iran has indicated willingness to return to the table, but only if the US can assure it that it will not seek military action.
In turn, Iran’s Parliament asserted that no negotiations will be conducted unless unidentified “preconditions” are fulfilled. Although Khamenei reaffirmed backing for diplomatic and military action, he called on it to be conducted with “care and precision,” without revealing additional strategy.
The escalation highlights the precarious nature of US-Iran relations and increasing worries of a wider regional conflict, as Iran persists in refusing to budge from refusing what it perceives as foreign attempts at weakening its sovereignty.
