Tehran [Iran], June 19: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected US President Donald Trump's call for surrender, as Israel keeps up its bombing campaign on Iranian state infrastructure and tensions mount over possible US military involvement.
"The Iranian people are determined and will resist both an imposed war and an imposed peace," Khamenei said in an official statement read by a state TV anchor on Wednesday.
He also warned Washington against intervening to support Israel's attacks, saying it would cause "irreparable damage." Khamenei, the 86-year-old hardline cleric who has ruled the Islamic Republic since 1989, was neither shown on screen nor heard speaking.
On Tuesday, Trump issued a direct threat to Khamenei, who, under Iran's constitution, has the final say in all strategic matters.
"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. "Our patience is wearing thin," he added. In another post, he demanded: "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!"
Iran, allies warn against foreign military intervention
As Israel and Iran exchanged fire for a sixth straight day on Wednesday, Iran's Foreign Ministry warned that any direct military intervention by a third country could trigger an all-out regional war.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told Al Jazeera that outside involvement would create a conflagration that "would engulf all the region." On the possibility of talks with the United States, Baghaei said, "Diplomacy never ends." However, he added that Tehran had lost all trust in Washington.
Baghaei said Iran's attacks remain focused solely on Israeli territory and expressed confidence that neighbouring countries would not allow the US to use their land to launch strikes on Iran.
So far, Washington has not used its military assets to carry out attacks on Iranian targets. But there are sharp divisions within Trump's Republican Party and the president himself has not categorically ruled it out, telling ABC News earlier this week: "It's possible we could get involved." Russia also warned the US against entering the conflict.
"It would be a step that would radically destabilize the whole situation," said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, according to Interfax. Even speculation about US involvement is dangerous, he added.
Moscow, a close ally of Tehran, has criticized Israel for pushing the region toward "nuclear catastrophe."
Israel strikes nuclear, military and symbolic sites
The UN's nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday that Israel has struck two sites in Iran that manufacture parts for uranium enrichment centrifuges.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) identified the facilities as the TESA Karaj workshop and the Tehran Research Centre.
Both were under agency monitoring.
"At the Tehran site, one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested. At Karaj, two buildings were destroyed where different centrifuge components were manufactured," the IAEA wrote on X.
The Israeli military said it has carried out hundreds of sorties targeting more than 1,100 sites in Iran since launching its operation early Friday, with a focus on military and nuclear infrastructure.
"We have delivered significant blows to the Iranian regime," said spokesman Effie Defrin, claiming the strikes had pushed Iran's forces back into central areas around Isfahan.
He accused Iran of targeting civilian homes, while Israel focused on military threats. Iran has launched daily waves of missile fire in response, including around 30 ballistic missiles overnight, most of which were intercepted, according to Defrin.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a US-based group of Iranian activists, reported that 585 people have been killed in Israeli attacks, including 239 civilians and 126 military personnel.
More than 1,300 people have been injured. In Israel, authorities say 24 people have died and over 800 have been injured since the conflict began. More than 50 Israeli fighter jets took part in strikes around Tehran on Wednesday, hitting facilities linked to weapons and missile production.
Israel hints at broader war goals
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday added fuel to speculation that Israel's campaign against Iran may be aimed not only at halting its nuclear ambitions, but also at toppling its leadership.
"Symbols of government are being bombed and destroyed - from the Broadcasting Authority and soon other targets, and crowds of residents are fleeing," Katz wrote on X. "This is how dictatorships collapse."
On Monday, Israeli forces bombed the headquarters of Iranian state broadcaster IRIB during a live broadcast. The broadcaster reported deaths and injuries in the strike.
Source: Qatar Tribune
