In his first statement after the US strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed punishment for Israel and vowed intense retaliation against enemies
TEHRAN — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday, in his first reaction following the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, said that the enemies of the country have made a “big mistake” and added that the punishment for Israel, referred to as the “Zionist enemy,” will continue.
Calling the attacks “a big crime,” Khamenei warned of retaliation.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the Iranian supreme leade condemned strikes on Iran’s three nuclear facilities, Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan and vowed to intensify attacks against Tel Aviv.
Ali Khamenei, in his official post said, “The punishment continues. The Zionist enemy has made a big mistake, committed a big crime; it must be punished, and it is being punished; it is being punished right now.”
The US strikes followed Israeli attacks launched on June 13 on various targets in Iran, including nuclear and military sites, killing several senior commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians, Xinhua news agency reported.
Iran has retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. As of Saturday, more than 400 people have been killed and over 3,500 wounded in Iran, according to the Iranian Health Ministry. In Israel, authorities reported 24 fatalities.
Late on Sunday, in the central Isfahan province, an Israeli drone strike killed three people in an ambulance, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported.
The governor of Najafabad county, Hamidreza Mohammadi Fesharaki, was quoted by the agency as saying the vehicle was transporting a patient when it was hit.
He reportedly added that all occupants, including the driver, patient, and companion, were killed.
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that Israel would press ahead with its operations. “Israel will continue to operate at full tilt in both Iran and Gaza,” he said, vowing not to be “dragged into a war of attrition.”
Meanwhile, the Iranian Parliament has voted in support of closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil transit chokepoints, a day after US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, according to media reports.
Any final decision on retaliation, however, will rest with the country’s Supreme National Security Council, Khamenei.
The US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites — dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer”-in Isfahan, Fordow, and Natanz mark the first direct involvement of America in the escalating crises between Iran and Israel.
The action has received backlash in the US, with many citing the lack of Congressional approval for the military move.
Widespread anti-war demonstrations have broken out across the United States on Sunday. Protesters gathered outside the White House and in major cities including New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington and Los Angeles, where crowds chanted “No War on Iran.” — With inputs from IANS
