JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON/DUBAI: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said his country will not accept US President Donald Trump’s call for an unconditional surrender in a statement read by a television presenter.
“This nation will never surrender to imposition from anyone,” said Khamenei. “America should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage.”
In his first remarks since Friday, when he delivered a speech broadcast on state media after Israel began bombarding Iran, Khamenei said peace or war could not be imposed on the Islamic Republic.
“Intelligent people who know Iran, the Iranian nation, and its history will never speak to this nation in threatening language because the Iranian nation will not surrender,” he said.
“The Americans should know that any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage,” he added.
Earlier, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said his country will show no mercy towards Israel’s rulers, hours after US President Donald Trump demanded Tehran’s “unconditional surrender”.
“We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime. We will show the Zionists no mercy,” Khamenei posted on X.
On Tuesday, Trump demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and boasted that the US could easily assassinate Khamenei.
Thousands of people were fleeing Tehran and other major cities, Iranian media reported, as Iran and Israel launched new missile strikes at each other.
The Israeli military said two barrages of Iranian missiles were launched toward Israel in the first two hours of Wednesday morning. Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv.
Israel told residents in a southwestern area of Tehran to evacuate so its air force could strike Iranian military installations. Thousands of people were fleeing the capital and major cities, with heavy traffic congesting roads and some routes suspended, Iranian media reported.
An anti-missile system operates as missiles are launched from Iran, as seen from Tel Aviv, Israel, June 18, 2025.
PUTIN AND UAE PRESIDENT URGE END TO THE CONFLICT, KREMLIN SAYS
Russian President Vladimir Putin and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke by phone on Wednesday and both agreed that there needed to be an immediate end to the conflict between Israel and Iran, the Kremlin said.
Putin reiterated Russia’s readiness to serve as a mediator to help find a diplomatic solution to Israeli and Western concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme, the Kremlin added.
GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER TELLS IRAN ITS NEVER TOO LATE TO NEGOTIATE
Germany’s foreign minister appealed to Iran’s leaders to make credible assurances that it is not seeking a nuclear weapon and to show it is willing to find a negotiated solution.
“We are still ready to negotiate a solution. However, Iran must act urgently … it is never too late to come to the negotiating table if one comes with sincere intentions,” Johann Wadephul said at a news conference with his Jordanian counterpart on Wednesday.
ERDOGAN SAYS IRAN DEFENDING ITSELF IS LEGAL AND LEGITIMATE
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Iran was defending itself against Israel’s illegal, “crazed” attacks, and what he called “state terrorism”.
He added that Iran’s self-defence was natural, legal and legitimate.
Speaking to members of his ruling AK Party in parliament, Erdogan also said Israel had attacked Turkey’s neighbour Iran without waiting for an end to nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran, adding Ankara wanted to see issues resolved through diplomacy.
He said Turkiye was ready to contribute to a solution.
IRAN’S STATE TV AIRS FOOTAGE OF DOWNED ISRAELI HERMES DRONE
Iran’s state TV has broadcast footage of an Israeli Hermes drone that it says was shot down in the central Iranian province of Isfahan.
TEHRAN ARRESTS SUSPECTED MOSSAD AGENTS
Iran has detained five suspected agents of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency on charges of tarnishing the country’s image online, Iranian news agencies reported.
“These mercenaries sought to sow fear among the public and tarnish the image of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran through their calculated activities online,” the Tasnim and ISNA news agencies quoted a statement from the Revolutionary Guards as saying. They added that the arrests had been made in western Iran.
Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported clashes early on Wednesday between security forces and unidentified gunmen in the city of Rey, south of Tehran, adding the assailants may be linked to Israel and intended to carry out “terrorist operations in densely populated areas of the capital”.
Iranian news websites said Israel was also attacking a university linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in the country’s east, and the Khojir ballistic missile facility near Tehran, which was also targeted by Israeli airstrikes last October.
An Israeli military official said 50 fighter jets struck around 20 targets in Tehran overnight, including sites producing raw materials, components and manufacturing systems for missiles.
The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence says Iran is armed with the largest number of ballistic missiles in the Middle East. Iran has said its ballistic missiles are an important deterrent and retaliatory force against the US, Israel and other potential regional targets.
Trump warned on social media on Tuesday that US patience was wearing thin. While he said there was no intention to kill Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “for now,” his comments suggested a more aggressive stance toward Iran as he weighs whether to deepen US involvement.
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding,” he wrote on Truth Social. “We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now … Our patience is wearing thin.”
Three minutes later Trump posted, “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”
Missiles launched from Iran are intercepted as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, June 18, 2025.
Trump’s sometimes contradictory and cryptic messaging about the conflict between close U.S. ally Israel and longtime foe Iran has deepened the uncertainty surrounding the crisis. His public comments have ranged from military threats to diplomatic overtures, not uncommon for a president known for an often erratic approach to foreign policy.
A source familiar with internal discussions said Trump and his team are considering a number of options, including joining Israel on strikes against Iranian nuclear sites.
A White House official said Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone on Tuesday.
Trump also met for 90 minutes with his National Security Council on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the conflict, a White House official said. Details were not immediately available.
The US is deploying more fighter aircraft to the Middle East and extending the deployment of other warplanes, three US officials told Reuters. The US has so far only taken indirect actions in the current conflict with Iran, including helping to shoot down missiles fired toward Israel.
A source with access to US intelligence reports said Iran has moved some ballistic missile launchers, but it is difficult to determine if they were targeting US forces or Israel.
However, Britain’s leader Keir Starmer, speaking at the Group of Seven nations summit in Canada that Trump left early, said there was no indication the US was about to enter the conflict.
REGIONAL INFLUENCE WEAKENS
Khamenei’s main military and security advisers have been killed by Israeli strikes, hollowing out his inner circle and raising the risk of strategic errors, according to five people familiar with his decision-making process.
With Iranian leaders suffering their most dangerous security breach since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the country’s cybersecurity command banned officials from using communications devices and mobile phones, Fars news agency reported.
Israel launched a “massive cyber war” against Iran’s digital infrastructure, Iranian media reported.
Ever since Iran-backed Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and triggered the Gaza war, Khamenei’s regional influence has waned as Israel has pounded Iran’s proxies – from Hamas in Gaza to Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq. Iran’s close ally, Syria’s autocratic president Bashar al-Assad, has been ousted.
Israel launched its air war, its largest ever on Iran, on Friday after saying it had concluded the Islamic Republic was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has pointed to its right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the international Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that.
Netanyahu has stressed that he will not back down until Iran’s nuclear development is disabled, while Trump says the Israeli assault could end if Iran agrees to strict curbs on enrichment.
People rest inside an underground train station used as a shelter amid rounds of missile attacks from Iran to Israel in recent days, in Ramat Gan, Israel June 17, 2025.
Before Israel’s attack began, the 35-nation board of governors of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years.
The IAEA said on Tuesday an Israeli strike directly hit the underground enrichment halls at the Natanz facility.
Israel says it now has control of Iranian airspace and intends to escalate the campaign in coming days.
But Israel will struggle to deal a knock-out blow to deeply buried nuclear sites like Fordow, which is dug beneath a mountain, without the US joining the attack.
Iranian officials have reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed. Residents of both countries have been evacuated or fled.
Global oil markets are on high alert following strikes on sites including the world’s biggest gas field, South Pars, shared by Iran and Qatar.
