Defiant Khamenei says Iran will ‘never surrender’ to the US

Iranian ultimate person says US strikes connected atomic sites ‘did thing significant’ successful archetypal comments since a ceasefire was agreed with Israel.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said Iran volition “never surrender” to the United States, striking a defiant code successful his archetypal remarks since a ceasefire with Israel took hold.

“The American president indicated successful 1 of his statements that Iran indispensable surrender. Surrender! It is nary longer a question of enrichment, nor of the atomic industry, but of the surrender of Iran,” said Khamenei successful a connection and televised code carried by authorities media connected Thursday. “Such an lawsuit (surrender) volition ne'er happen. It volition ne'er happen.”

Khamenei’s remarks travel 2 days aft a ceasefire halted a 12-day war betwixt Iran and Israel – the foes’ deadliest and astir destructive confrontation –  and people his archetypal nationalist quality since June 19.

The code besides comes amid conflicting accounts successful the US implicit the grade of the harm inflicted by US strikes connected cardinal Iranian atomic sites astatine Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan during the conflict. US President Donald Trump said the strikes “obliterated” the atomic facilities.

But Khamenei said Trump had “exaggerated” the interaction of the attacks and said the US “gained thing from this war,” claiming the US strikes “did thing significant” to Iran’s atomic facilities.

“The Islamic republic won, and successful retaliation dealt a terrible slap to the look of America,” helium said, a notation to Iran’s rocket motorboat targeting a US basal successful Qatar, the largest successful the Middle East, which caused nary casualties.

Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar, reporting from Tehran, said Khamenei besides focused connected the country’s equipped forces, to connection them congratulations and antagonistic the claims astir the satellite and successful Iran that the service “has received immense blows from the Israeli attacks”.

While Iranians who fled Tehran during the warfare person been gradually returning to the city, “there is simply a communal anxiousness among the Iranian radical present arsenic good due to the fact that they judge this was lone the archetypal question of the war,” said Serdar.

“Many are questioning the ratio of Iran’s aerial defence systems” and consciousness that Iran could beryllium much susceptible to a imaginable aboriginal onslaught from the US and Israel, added Serdar.

Khamenei said that the Iranian service successfully targeted subject and non-military positions, and caused extended harm successful Israel and added that “if Israel attacks america again, they volition spot a further destruction”, added Serdar.

Khamenei did not endanger the Israelis oregon Americans with subject enactment successful his speech, but did accidental that the country’s atomic programme remains mostly successful spot – contrary to US statements, said Serdar.

“He said that astir of the sites are inactive successful spot and that Iran is going to proceed its atomic programme.”

Both Iran and Israel person claimed triumph successful the 12-day war, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailing connected Tuesday a “historic victory” for Israel.

Meanwhile, Iran has said it is consenting to instrumentality to atomic negotiations with Washington.

The Israeli strikes connected Iran killed astatine slightest 627 civilians, Tehran’s wellness ministry said, portion authoritative figures bespeak Iran’s attacks connected Israel killed 28 people.

A authorities ceremonial volition beryllium held connected Saturday successful Tehran for apical commanders and atomic scientists killed successful the war.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies