As tensions rise in the Middle East, Iran has issued a stark warning to United States (US) President Donald Trump, calling him a “gambler” and saying that the US will have to deal with the “heavy consequences” of its actions.
In a video statement on Monday, June 23, Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military headquarters, said the recent US attacks had widened the scope of Iran’s legitimate targets.
“Mr Trump, the gambler, you may start this war — but we will be the ones to end it,” he said in English.
Watch the video here
Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also weighed in on the regional crisis, calling Israel’s aerial offensive launched on June 13 “a big mistake”.
“The Zionist enemy… is being punished right now,” Khamenei wrote on X.
At an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Sunday, Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said the US had “destroyed diplomacy” and warned that the response would be determined by Iran’s military.
“The timing, nature, and scale of our response will be decided by our armed forces,” he said. “We will take all necessary measures.”
Since June 13, Israel launched a large-scale aerial assault on multiple locations near Tehran, including suspected Iranian weapons depots and military infrastructure. The strikes caused significant damage and marked one of the most direct Israeli attacks inside Iranian territory in recent years.
This was followed by US airstrikes at dawn on Sunday, June 22, targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz. Trump claimed the operation had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capability.
