President Trump has issued a new warning to Iran and its supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei ahead of expected talks over Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran’s supreme leader warns of regional conflict if US attacks on Iran
Iranian leaders warned on Sunday (February 1) of a regional conflict if the United States attacked Iran, and designated EU forces as a “terrorist group” in retaliation. Diane To reports.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei should be concerned about the buildup of U.S. forces in the region and threatened new attacks if Iran tries to restart its nuclear program.
“I would say he should be very concerned,” Trump said of Khamenei in an interview with NBC News. “Yeah, he should be.”
President Trump had been exchanging belligerent words with Khamenei for weeks, threatening military action in response to Iran’s violent crackdown on protesters that it says has killed thousands of people. He also said the country needed “new leadership” and reiterated the “fleet” of warships he had deployed to the region.
Khamenei hit back, accusing the United States of trying to “seize control” of the country. On February 1, he said any country that goes to war with Iran would “face a decisive blow” and warned that a conflict with the United States would turn into a regional war.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi this week for face-to-face talks that could lay the groundwork for an agreement between the two countries. President Trump told reporters this week that he wants to reach a deal with the Iranian government. “If we don’t do that, bad things are probably going to happen,” he said on February 2.
The US president previously took credit for stopping mass executions in Iran and said in an interview with NBC that he had been working with protesters. Last summer, he launched a U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities and said he had heard that Iran was trying to restart its nuclear program.
Trump added: “We said, ‘If you do that, we’re going to do something very bad to you.'”
The remarks came after the U.S. military shot down an Iranian drone on February 3, and after U.S. Central Command said it had approached a U.S. aircraft carrier “aggressively” with “no clear intent” about 500 miles off Iran’s southern coast. Hours later, in a separate incident, Iranian forces “harassed” a U.S.-flagged commercial ship with an American crew in the Strait of Hormuz, the Central Command said.
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said that scheduled U.S.-Iranian talks are expected to take place following the reported incident.
Still, Trump maintains a wide range of options, she said. “That includes the use of military force,” Levitt added.
The location of the US-Iran meeting was still being finalized as of Wednesday, February 4, and plans to meet in Istanbul on February 6 remain in flux.
Protesters in Istanbul hold anti-American rally as tensions between US and Iran rise
Amid recent tensions between the US and Iran, demonstrators burned posters of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside the US Consulate General in Istanbul on Sunday (February 1) during a rally in support of the Iranian people.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters at a morning news conference in Washington that the U.S. wants to proceed. However, for the talks to lead to meaningful results, he said issues such as Iran’s illegal ballistic missile program, support for US-designated terrorist organizations, and the treatment of its citizens must be included in the discussion.
“If the Iranians want to meet, we’re ready. They’ve expressed interest in meeting and talking. If they change their mind, we’re fine with that, too,” Rubio said. “I don’t know if we can come to an agreement with these guys, but we’ll try to figure it out.”
Rubio said the president wants a peaceful outcome rather than a military conflict with Iran.
Contributor: Cybele Mayes-Osterman
