President Donald Trump suggested on Sunday that if Iran does not reach a nuclear deal with the United States, the world will soon see whether Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was right in warning that a U.S. attack would trigger a regional war.
“Why wouldn’t he say that? Sure, he could say that,” Trump told reporters when asked about his reaction to the Iranian leader’s defiant comments about the potential consequences of a U.S. attack.
“But we have the biggest and most powerful ships in the world, right there, very close,” Trump added. “And hopefully we’ll make a deal.”
“If we don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out if he was right,” Trump added.
Trump said on Saturday that Iran is “talking seriously” with the United States, while refusing to say whether he has decided on a possible military strike against the regime.
Separately, Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told a crowd in Tehran on Sunday that Iran “does not intend to attack any country, but the Iranian nation will deal a strong blow to anyone who attacks and harasses it,” according to state media.
He stressed that if the US attacks Iran, this will turn into a regional conflict.
“The Americans should know that if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war,” Khamenei was quoted as saying.
The 86-year-old Khamenei’s comments are the most direct threat he has made yet.
Tehran has warned that if US President Donald Trump orders attacks on Iran, it will target Israel and US military assets in the Middle East.
Recall that CNN reported last week that Trump was considering a new major attack on Iran, after preliminary discussions between Washington and Tehran on limiting the country’s nuclear program and ballistic missile production failed to make progress.
The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group entered the Indian Ocean last week, bringing it closer to assisting in any potential US operation targeting Iran.
