One of Iran’s top clerics warned Wednesday morning that the regime in Tehran would strike Israel in retaliation for any “harm…in the slightest way” by the US against Iran.
Ayatollah Seyed Ahmad Khatami, a member of the Islamic republic’s religious governing body known as the Assembly of Experts, told worshippers at an Eid al-Ahda event in Tehran Wednesday morning that Iran would not accept President Donald Trump’s offer to engage in negotiations.
“Americans say you should accept what we say in the talks,” Khatami said, according to a report by Mizan. “So this is not negotiation, but dictatorship. The Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation would stand up against dictatorship.”
In late July, President Trump said that he would be willing to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for negotiations without any preconditions, just days after he warned the Iranian leader not to threaten the US.
“I would certainly meet with Iran if they wanted to meet. I don’t know if they’re ready yet,” Trump said. He said he would set “no preconditions,” and, “If they want to meet, I’ll meet, anytime they want.”
Khatami also warned on Wednesday that Iran would not limit its attacks on the US if America caused any “harm” to Iran, and that the Tehran regime would retaliate against Israel as well.
“The price of a war with Iran is very high for America. They know if they harm this country and this state in the slightest way, the United States and its main ally in the region, the Zionist regime would be targeted.”