In a photo released by the office of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is addressing members of the Iranian air force in Tehran, on Feb. 7, 2025. (Credit: Khamenei.ir/AFP)
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said during a speech on Wednesday that Iran will accept neither an imposed peace nor an imposed war, in quotes cited by Reuters, adding that those who know Iran's history know that Iranians do not answer well to the language of threats, referring to Trump's many and recent menaces against the country.
During his speech, which comes six days into the conflict, Khamenei stated that Iran "will never surrender" and that any U.S. strike against Iran will have "serious irreparable consequences."
"Israel made a huge mistake and will be punished for that," Khamenei said. "People will not forget the blood of the martyrs and the attack on their territory."
On Tuesday, Trump wrote a Truth Social post demanding Iran's "unconditional surrender" while boasting the United States could kill Khamenei and fueling speculation about a possible intervention.
The long-range blitz began Friday, when Israel launched a massive bombing campaign that prompted Iran to respond with missiles and drones.
"This nation will never surrender," Khamenei said in a speech read on state television, in which he called Trump's ultimatum "unacceptable."
"America should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage," he said.
Khamenei, in power since 1989 and the final arbiter of all matters of state in Iran, had earlier vowed the country would show "no mercy" towards Israel's leaders.
The speech followed a night of strikes, with Israeli attacks destroying two buildings making centrifuge components for Iran's nuclear program near Tehran, according to the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
"More than 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets... carried out a series of air strikes in the Tehran area over the past few hours," the Israeli military said, adding that several weapons manufacturing facilities were hit.
"As part of the broad effort to disrupt Iran's nuclear weapons development program, a centrifuge production facility in Tehran was targeted."
Centrifuges are vital for uranium enrichment, the sensitive process that can produce fuel for reactors or, in highly extended form, the core of a nuclear warhead.
In another strike on a site in Tehran, "one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested," the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a post on X.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had launched hypersonic Fattah-1 missiles at Tel Aviv. Hypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept.
No missile struck Tel Aviv overnight, though AFP photos showed Israel's air defense systems activated to intercept missiles over the commercial hub.
Iran also sent a "swarm of drones" towards Israel, while the Israeli military said it had intercepted a total of 10 drones launched from Iran. It said one of its own drones had been shot down over Iran.
'Unconditional surrender'
Trump fueled speculation about U.S. intervention when he made a hasty exit from the G7 summit in Canada, where the leaders of the club of wealthy democracies called for de-escalation but backed Israel's "right to defend itself."
He boasted that the United States could easily assassinate Khamenei. "We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Trump met with his National Security Council to discuss the conflict. There was no immediate public statement after the hour and 20 minute meeting, and U.S. officials have stressed Trump has not yet made a decision about any intervention.
Evacuations
The attacks from and against both nations have included both military and residential targets. The death toll in Iran is estimated to be nearly 600, with almost half of the casualties identified as civilians, according to a Washington-based human rights organization that specializes in tracking violence in Iran. Foreign governments have scrambled to evacuate their citizens from both countries.
Since Friday, at least 24 people have been killed in Israel and hundreds wounded, according to Netanyahu's office.
Many Israelis spent another night disrupted by air raid warnings, with residents of coastal hub Tel Aviv repeatedly heading for shelters when sirens rang out warning of incoming Iranian missiles.
In the West Bank city of Ramallah, perched at 800 meters (2,600 feet) above sea level and with a view over Tel Aviv, some residents gathered on rooftops and balconies to watch.
An AFP journalist reported cheers and whistles as dozens of missiles flew overhead, with Israeli air defenses activating to intercept them, causing mid-air explosions which lit up the sky. The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel is at risk of running out of interceptor missiles and that even the U.S. is concerned about depleting its own stocks.
On Tuesday in Tehran, long queues stretched outside bakeries and petrol stations as people rushed to stock up on fuel and basic supplies. Iran's ISNA and Tasnim news agencies on Wednesday reported that five suspected agents of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency had been detained, on charges of tarnishing the country's image online.
Nuclear facilities
After a prolonged shadow war, Israel said its surprise air campaign was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, an ambition Tehran denies and that U.S. intelligence also believes was not on the table.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog said there appeared to have been "direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls" at Iran's Natanz facility.
Israel has maintained ambiguity regarding its own atomic activities, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says it has 90 nuclear warheads.
The conflict derailed a running series of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington, with Iran saying after the start of Israel's campaign that it would not negotiate with the United States while under attack.