Iran's supreme leader Khamenei warns of 'crushing response' to Israel and US after Israeli attack (WATCH)
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a stern warning to Israel and the United States on Saturday, pledging a “crushing response” if further attacks are launched against Iran and its allies.
FollowIran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a stern warning to Israel and the United States on Saturday, pledging a “crushing response” if further attacks are launched against Iran and its allies. His remarks came amid heightened tensions following Israel's October 26 airstrikes on Iranian military sites, which resulted in at least five fatalities.
Any further attacks from either side could draw the wider Middle East into a larger conflict, already on edge due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon, just days before the US presidential election on Tuesday.
In a video message broadcast by Iranian state media, Khamenei addressed both Israel and the United States, emphasizing that they would “definitely receive a crushing response” for their actions against Iran and its allies.
“The enemies, whether the Zionist regime or the United States of America, will definitely receive a crushing response to what they are doing to Iran and the Iranian nation and to the resistance front,” Khamenei said in video released by Iranian state media.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei did not specify the timing or scale of Iran's threatened response, even as US military personnel remain stationed throughout the Middle East, including at a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) installation in Israel.
At 85, Khamenei had previously taken a more measured stance, advising Iranian officials to carefully consider their response to the recent Israeli attacks. He emphasized that Israel’s actions should neither be exaggerated nor underestimated.
Addressing university students in Tehran on Saturday as part of the Student Day commemorations, Khamenei was met with chants of unwavering support. The annual event, held in remembrance of Iranian soldiers’ deadly crackdown on student protestors in 1978, carries a powerful anti-imperialist significance in Iran.
The students welcomed Khamenei with fervent chants, declaring, "The blood in our veins is a gift to our leader!”
Some in the crowd echoed a hand gesture made by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in 2020 when he warned that American troops would “return in coffins.”
This period of tension also marks a historical milestone for Iran, as it approaches the 45th anniversary of the US Embassy hostage crisis, which began on November 4, 1979. The seizure of the embassy by Islamist students and the 444-day standoff that followed remain defining events in the US-Iran relationship, setting a tone of animosity that continues to shape diplomatic interactions.
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