Iran firmly rejected calls for negotiation “under duress” after US President Donald Trump threatened its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and encouraged Israeli military actions as tensions continue to rise in the region.
“Iran does NOT negotiate under duress, shall NOT accept peace under duress, and certainly NOT with a has-been warmonger clinging to relevance, ” the Iranian mission to the United Nations said on X. “Iran shall respond to any threat with a counter-threat and to any action with reciprocal measures.”
The statement followed Trump’s comments describing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as an “easy target” and issuing what he called “the ultimate ultimatum.”
Khamenei responded in a national address on Wednesday, stating, “Let the Americans know that the Iranian nation is not one to surrender, and any military intervention on their part will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage.”
Meanwhile, Trump has encouraged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “keep going” in his campaign against Iran, adding, “He’s a good man, doing a lot.”
A third US aircraft carrier, the USS Ford, was deployed to the eastern Mediterranean, which has added to the American military presence near the conflict zone.