‘Attack on Khamenei means war’: Iran issues sharp warning to Trump

Iran has issued a strong warning to the United States, saying any attack targeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be treated as a declaration of “all-out war” against the Iranian nation. President Masoud Pezeshkian made the statement amid escalating political rhetoric between Tehran and Washington.

In a post on social media, Pezeshkian said Iran would consider any move against Khamenei as an attack on the country itself. He blamed decades of US hostility and sanctions for Iran’s economic hardships, accusing Washington of inflicting suffering on ordinary Iranians through what he described as inhumane policies.

The warning followed remarks by US President Donald Trump, who suggested Iran needed new leadership. Trump made the comments amid ongoing protests in Iran, accusing the country’s leadership of ruling through fear, repression and violence, and holding Khamenei responsible for the nation’s decline.

Tensions escalated further after Iranian state television aired footage showing a placard with an image of Trump and a threatening message during a funeral ceremony for security personnel killed in recent unrest. The broadcast marked one of Tehran’s most direct symbolic threats toward the US president.

Iranian officials have previously vowed revenge against Trump over the 2020 killing of General Qasem Soleimani, and Tehran has been linked to past plots and threats targeting him. The United States has said it disrupted an alleged Iran-directed assassination attempt last year.

Relations between Iran and the US have remained deeply strained since Trump’s return to the White House, with renewed pressure, public exchanges between leaders and continued unrest inside Iran adding to fears of a wider confrontation.