Iran’s Supreme Leader Promises ‘Devastating Retaliation’ Against Israel and the US Following Israeli Assault

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – On Saturday, Iran’s leading figure, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a stern warning to Israel and the United States, vowing that any further aggression would provoke “a devastating response.”

His remarks follow an uptick in Iranian threats aimed at Israel, especially in light of a military strike on October 26 that targeted Iranian bases, resulting in the deaths of at least five individuals.

The potential for a broader conflict looms over the already volatile Middle East, exacerbated by the ongoing Israel-Hamas hostilities in Gaza and Israel’s incursion into Lebanon, coinciding ominously with the upcoming U.S. presidential elections.

Khamenei stated in a video aired by Iranian state media, “The foes, whether the Zionist regime or the United States, will surely face a severe retaliation for their transgressions against Iran and the resistance front.”

He refrained from specifying when or how this retaliation might occur. The U.S. maintains a military presence throughout the Middle East, with some personnel currently stationed in Israel, operating a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is likely positioned in the Arabian Sea, while Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder announced plans to bolster the region’s defenses with additional destroyers, fighter jets, tankers, and B-52 bombers. Over the weekend, B-52 bombers from Minot Air Force Base arrived in the Middle East.

Khamenei, at 85, has adopted a more circumspect tone in earlier statements, advising careful consideration of Iran’s response while suggesting that Israel’s actions should neither be blown out of proportion nor diminished in significance. Iran has previously orchestrated two significant attacks against Israel this year, once in April and again in October.

However, the Iranian narrative of downplaying Israeli attacks faced challenges as new satellite imagery, scrutinized by The Associated Press, revealed significant damage to military installations in Tehran linked to the country’s missile initiatives, as well as to a Revolutionary Guard base utilized for satellite operations.

Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance,” comprising allies like Hezbollah and Hamas, is suffering substantial casualties due to relentless Israeli strikes. These groups have long served as proxies for Iran, providing a means of indirectly confronting Israel while simultaneously shielding Iran from direct retaliation. Observers suggest these factions are urging Iran to intensify its military support.

Yet, Iran is contending with internal turmoil. The economy grapples with the consequences of international sanctions and widespread civil unrest. After Khamenei’s speech, the value of the Iranian rial plunged to a staggering 691,500 against the dollar, nearing an all-time low, particularly concerning given it was worth 32,000 to the dollar when the nuclear deal was brokered in 2015.

Gen. Mohammad Ali Naini, spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, emphasized in a recent interview prior to Khamenei’s comments that any Iranian counteraction would be “intelligent, formidable, and utterly beyond enemy expectations.”

“Zionist leaders should peer out through their windows and safeguard their pilot criminals within their confining territory,” he threatened, indicating that Israeli air force pilots utilized air-launched ballistic missiles during the October strike.

Khamenei met with university students on Saturday in observance of Students Day, which commemorates a tragic event on November 4, 1978, when Iranian forces opened fire on students protesting the reigning shah at Tehran University, exacerbating tension that ultimately propelled the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The students greeted Khamenei with enthusiastic chants of “The blood in our veins is a gift to our leader!” Some displayed a hand signal reminiscent of a “timeout” gesture famously used by the late Hezbollah commander Hassan Nasrallah during a 2020 speech in which he threatened U.S. troops would return home in coffins.

This Sunday marks the 45th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy hostage crisis, a pivotal event in Iranian history that began on November 4, 1979, when Islamist students stormed the embassy, leading to a lengthy, 444-day standoff that entrenched a deep-rooted animosity between Tehran and Washington.

Edited by: Ali Musa

alimusa@axadletimes.com

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