Iran has issued a sharp warning to the United States amid escalating political rhetoric between the two countries.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said any strike targeting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be treated as a declaration of “all-out war” against the Iranian nation.
The warning came after comments by US President Donald Trump, who suggested Iran needs new leadership.
Pezeshkian says attack on supreme leader would trigger full-scale conflict
In a post on social media platform X, Pezeshkian said Iran would view any move against Ali Khamenei as an attack on the country itself.
“Any attack on our great leader will be tantamount to an all-out war against the Iranian nation,” he wrote.
The Iranian President also pointed to long-standing tensions with Washington. He blamed US policies for Iran’s economic difficulties, saying decades of hostility and “inhumane sanctions” imposed by the United States and its allies had caused widespread hardship for ordinary Iranians, according to Xinhua news agency.
Trump calls for leadership change as tensions deepen
The exchange followed remarks by Trump in an interview with Politico, where he said it was “time to look for new leadership in Iran”.
His comments came amid weeks of protests in the Islamic Republic, driven by public anger over political repression, economic pressure and alleged human rights abuses.
Trump accused Iran’s leadership of ruling through fear and violence. Referring to alleged executions, he told the publication, “The best decision he ever made was not hanging more than 800 people two days ago.”
He further blamed Khamenei for what he described as the country’s decline, accusing the supreme leader of overseeing the “complete destruction of the country” and using extreme force to suppress dissent.
Earlier, Khamenei had labelled Trump a “criminal”, holding him responsible for deaths and damage during recent periods of unrest in Iran.
Relations between Tehran and Washington have remained tense since Trump’s return to the White House. Diplomatic ties continue to be marked by the revival of the “maximum pressure” approach and frequent public exchanges between leaders.