This morning, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered a direct message to the United States that his nation will never give up or surrender, responding to President Donald Trump’s demand that “unconditional surrender” would be Iran’s best option under current circumstances. Reported by the Times of Israel, Khamenei’s message was read by a television presenter from an undisclosed location where he was shown in a narrow space, seated in a chair against a backdrop of curtains.
He praised the Iranian people for their “decent, courageous and timely behavior” in the face of Israel’s “stupid and evil” act of aggression. Remember, he said, “wise individuals who know Iran, its people, and its history never speak to this nation with threatening language, because the Iranian nation is not one to surrender…. Americans should know that any military involvement by the U.S. will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage to them.” He warned that Iran will not accept any “imposed peace, just as it will fight vigorously against an “imposed war.” Iran will not surrender to “anything imposed by anyone.”
