Iran’s top official says Trump crossed ‘a dangerous red line’ after US-Israel strike kills Khamenei
IRAN: Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh has warned President Donald Trump after the death of Ali Khamenei during a joint operation carried out by the US and Israel. Khamenei died amid a series of airstrikes in Tehran on Saturday, February 28.
Speaking with CNN on Sunday, February 1, the Iranian official said, “Of course, from a religious aspect, he was a great religious leader, so many of Shiite followers across the region and around the world are going to react to that, and this is very obvious because President Trump passed a very dangerous red line.”
Iran warns of response after US strikes
Khatibzadeh then asserted that they “have no option but to respond.”
After Saturday’s incident, Iran launched aggressive strikes across the Middle East, mostly targeting nations that host American military bases, including Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. The attacks proved fatal, taking the lives of many civilians, damaging property, and bringing air and water traffic to a halt.
Khatibzadeh also said that Iran spoke with Gulf Arab states “to shut down those American bases that are constantly threatening Iran and are constantly using to offend on Iran, or we have no option just to push back.”
Iran official blames Trump for war escalation
“Iran cannot reach out to American soil, so we have no option just to attack any bases which is under US jurisdiction,” he added.
When asked whether diplomacy is still an option, Khatibzadeh criticized the attack and stated that there was “no necessity to start this aggression.” “If President Trump didn’t want to see Iran hitting back … President Trump should have not started this war from the beginning. It was a war of choice,” he claimed.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also criticized the US after the death of Khamenei. “This tragic event is the greatest trial facing the Islamic world today,” he said.
Putin, China, Erdogan condemn Khamenei killing
Other world leaders, including Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, termed Khamenei’s killing a “cynical murder,” describing the Iranian supreme leader as “an outstanding statesman who made a huge personal contribution to the development of friendly Russian-Iranian relations and brought them to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership.”
China called the attack “a serious violation of Iran’s sovereignty and security, a trampling on the aims and principles of the UN Charter and the basic norms of international relations.”
In a statement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was "saddened to learn of the passing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei."
