Iran's Supreme Leader Warns US Attack Would Spark Regional War

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that any military attack by the United States would trigger a “regional war,” amid escalating tensions following US President Donald Trump’s threats to strike Iran and the European Union’s designation of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.

“The Americans should know that if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war,” Iranian state television quoted Khamenei as saying. “We are not the instigators and we do not seek to attack any country, but the Iranian nation will deliver a firm blow to anyone who attacks or harasses it.”

The United States has deployed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and accompanying warships to the Arabian Sea, a move Trump described as intended to deter Iran following its crackdown on nationwide protests. Trump has set red lines for possible military action including the mass killing of peaceful protesters and executions of detainees, while renewing pressure over Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran plans live-fire military drills on Sunday and Monday in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s traded oil passes. The US military’s Central Command has warned Iran against threatening American forces or disrupting commercial shipping.

Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated that Tehran now considers all EU militaries terrorist organizations in response to the EU’s blacklist of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) over its role in suppressing protests. “By targeting the IRGC, which has been the greatest barrier to the spread of terrorism to Europe, Europeans have acted against their own interests,” Ghalibaf said during a parliamentary session where lawmakers wore Guard uniforms.

Trump told reporters Iran was “seriously talking” to the United States and suggested military action could be avoided. Iranian officials have signaled indirect diplomatic activity, with senior security official Ali Larijani saying “structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing,” though Khamenei has ruled out direct talks with Washington.

The standoff has raised fears of wider conflict in the Middle East, particularly in the Gulf region or if energy supplies are disrupted.