Iran’s president warns strikes on Khamenei would lead to ‘all-out war’

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned that any attack on supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would amount to a declaration of “all-out war” against Iran, sharply escalating rhetoric amid a renewed war of words with US President Donald Trump.

In a post on social media platform X, Pezeshkian said an assault on Khamenei would be treated as an attack on the Iranian nation itself. “Any attack on our great leader will be tantamount to an all-out war against the Iranian nation,” he wrote, responding to remarks by Trump questioning Iran’s leadership.

The warning came after Trump told Politico on Saturday that it was “time to look for new leadership in Iran”, citing weeks of protests fuelled by public anger over political repression, economic hardship and alleged human rights abuses.

Pezeshkian also accused Washington of being primarily responsible for Iran’s economic difficulties, blaming what he described as decades of hostility and “inhumane sanctions” imposed by the United States and its allies for the hardships faced by ordinary Iranians, according to China’s Xinhua news agency.

The exchange followed a separate attack by Khamenei, who earlier on Saturday labelled Trump a “criminal” and held him responsible for deaths and damage during recent bouts of domestic unrest in Iran.

Trump, who has revived a policy of “maximum pressure” since returning to the White House, has repeatedly criticised Iran’s leadership, accusing it of ruling through violence and fear. Referring to alleged executions, he told Politico that Khamenei’s “best decision” was not carrying out mass hangings, and blamed the supreme leader for what he called the “complete destruction of the country”.

The latest remarks underscore the deepening hostility between Tehran and Washington, with relations remaining tense amid sanctions, public unrest in Iran and increasingly sharp verbal confrontations between the two leaderships.

With IANS inputs