Iran’s supreme leader on Saturday threatened Israel and the U.S. with “a crushing response” over attacks on Iran and its allies.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke as Iranian officials are increasingly threatening to launch another strike against Israel after its October 26 attack that targeted military bases and other locations in Iran, killing at least five people. Any further attacks from either side could engulf the wider Middle East into a larger regional conflict.
“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 a video released by Iranian state media. He did not elaborate on the timing or scope of the threatened retaliation.
The 85-year-old Khamenei had previously struck a more cautious tone, saying officials would weigh Iran’s response and that Israel’s attack “should not be exaggerated nor downplayed.” However, his latest remarks represent a significant escalation in rhetoric.
The threats come amid rising tensions in the Middle East, including the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon. The situation is unfolding just ahead of the U.S. presidential election on Tuesday.
Iran will also mark the 45th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy hostage crisis this Sunday, an event that cemented the decades-long enmity between Tehran and Washington. Khomenei’s strong warnings suggest Iran is poised to retaliate against what it sees as attacks from its regional adversaries and the United States.
The potential for a wider regional conflict remains high, as both sides appear unwilling to back down. Khamenei’s vow of a “crushing response” has raised the stakes, potentially drawing the U.S. military forces deployed in the Middle East into the escalating confrontation between Iran and Israel.
