Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

March 1, 2026 12:02 PM

US tells Lebanon: Israel won’t escalate if no hostile acts come from Lebanese side

Lebanon's presidency said on Saturday it had been told by the U.S. ambassador that Israel would not escalate against Lebanon as long as there are no hostile acts from the Lebanese side, following the launch of U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. Lebanon's Shi'ite Muslim armed group Hezbollah, long one of Tehran's principal allies in the Middle East, expressed solidarity with Iran on Saturday but stopped short of saying whether it would get involved. In its statement, Hezbollah said the U.S.-Israeli ...

March 1, 2026 11:39 AM

Trump cheers death of Iranian leader, says strikes will continue

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday celebrated U.S.-Israeli airstrikes that killed Iran's leader, but warned attacks would continue. The strikes, which Trump said were aimed at destroying Iranian missiles and annihilating its navy, follow repeated U.S.-Israeli warnings that they would strike Iran again if it pressed ahead with its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Trump, who is monitoring the operation from his Mar-a-Lago oceanfront resort in Florida, posted on Saturday afternoon tha...

February 2, 2026 9:13 AM

Iran warns of regional conflict if US attacks, designates EU armies ‘terrorists’

Iran's leadership warned of a regional conflict on Sunday if the U.S. were to attack it, stoking the tension between Washington and Tehran, and it designated EU armies as "terrorist groups" in a retaliatory move. The United States has ramped up its naval presence in the Middle East after President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened Iran with intervention if it did not agree to a nuclear deal or failed to stop killing protesters. Despite the standoff between Iran's clerical rulers and the Trump...

January 18, 2026 2:38 PM

Iran’s leader Khamenei accuses Trump of inciting deadly protests

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday blamed President Donald Trump for weeks of demonstrations that rights groups said have led to more than 3,000 deaths. "We consider the U.S. president criminal for the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted on the Iranian nation," Khamenei said, according to Iranian state media. The protests erupted on December 28 over economic hardship and swelled into widespread demonstrations calling for the end of clerical rule in the Islamic Re...

January 9, 2026 9:18 PM

Protests escalate across Iran as government imposes nationwide internet shutdown

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for unity in the face of what he termed “terrorist actions” as mass protests continued across the country on Friday. In an address broadcast on Iranian state television, Khamenei warned against the demonstrations, which authorities have framed as a plot by foreign enemies, primarily the United States, and reiterated threats that security forces would crack down on the unrest. The government signaled it would take harsh measures against prot...

January 4, 2026 12:50 PM

Iran supreme leader says will not yield as protests simmer and US threatens

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed not to yield after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to come to the aid of protesters, as rights groups reported a sharp rise in arrests following days of unrest sparked by soaring inflation. Speaking in a recorded appearance on television on Saturday, Khamenei said the Islamic Republic "will not yield to the enemy" and said rioters should be "put in their place". Rights groups say more than 10 people have been killed and scores detained ...

November 3, 2025 5:54 PM

Iran’s Supreme Leader says cooperation with US not possible while it backs Israel

Cooperation between Iran and the United States is not possible as long as Washington continues to support Israel and to maintain military bases and interfere in the Middle East region, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday. Khamenei's comments came as President Donald Trump's administration seeks to increase pressure on Iran. "The Americans sometimes say they would like to cooperate with Iran. Cooperation with Iran is not possible as long as the U.S. continues to support ...

July 6, 2025 10:28 AM

Iran’s Khamenei attends public event after weeks of war with Israel

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attended a religious event on Saturday, according to a video carried by state television, after reports that he was in a "secure location" since the start of a 12-day air war with Israel in which top Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists were killed. The video carried by state media showed dozens attending a ceremony to mark Ashura, the holiest day of the Shi'ite Muslim calendar, standing chanting as Khamenei entered a hall where many government ...

June 23, 2025 4:36 PM

Succession plans for Iran’s Khamenei hit top gear

The clock's ticking for senior clerics seeking a successor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A three-man committee from a top clerical body, appointed by Khamenei himself two years ago to identify his replacement, has accelerated its planning in recent days since Israel attacked Iran and threatened to assassinate the veteran leader, five insiders with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters. Khamenei, 86, is being regularly briefed on the talks, according to the Iranian source...

June 20, 2025 9:08 AM

Israel-Iran air war enters second week as Europe pushes diplomacy

Israel and Iran's air war entered a second week on Friday and European officials sought to draw Tehran back to the negotiating table after President Donald Trump said any decision on potential U.S. involvement would be made within two weeks. Israel began attacking Iran last Friday, saying it aimed to prevent its longtime enemy from developing nuclear weapons. Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. It says its nuclear programme is peaceful. Israeli air attacks have killed 639...