Tehran: Tensions in the Middle East intensified on Sunday after a senior Iranian figure warned that U.S. President Donald Trump would “pay the price” for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly killed in joint U.S.–Israeli strikes late last month.
The warning came from Ali Larijani, a top adviser in Iran’s security establishment, who said Tehran would pursue those responsible for the attack. In a message posted on social media, Larijani declared that Iran would relentlessly avenge the death of its leader and the civilians killed during the strikes. He insisted that Trump would ultimately be held accountable for what he described as an act of aggression against Iran.
Trump, however, appeared unfazed by the remarks. In an interview with a U.S. television network, he dismissed Larijani’s comments and said he did not even know who the Iranian official was. The American president added that he was not concerned by the threats and claimed Iran’s leadership had already suffered major setbacks. Trump also reiterated that U.S. military operations against Iran would continue and again demanded Tehran’s “unconditional surrender.”
The exchange of harsh rhetoric comes amid a rapidly escalating conflict triggered by coordinated U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran on February 28. The attacks reportedly killed Khamenei, Iran’s long-time supreme leader, and several other senior officials, plunging the country into a political crisis and sparking retaliation from Tehran.
Iran has since launched missile strikes targeting Israeli territory and U.S. military facilities across the Gulf region. The conflict has already resulted in heavy casualties on multiple sides, with more than a thousand people reported killed in Iran and additional deaths recorded in Israel and among U.S. forces.
Larijani also warned neighboring countries in the region not to allow American forces to use their territory for attacks against Iran. According to him, if such operations continued, Tehran would consider those bases legitimate targets. He further claimed that Iranian forces had detained several American soldiers during the ongoing fighting, though independent confirmation of the claim was not immediately available.
In a separate interview with Iranian state media, Larijani insisted that Iran would not “leave Trump alone” and vowed that the country would continue its response until those responsible for the strikes were punished. He accused the United States and Israel of attempting to destabilize and break apart the Islamic Republic, arguing that Washington had underestimated Iran’s resilience.
The conflict has rapidly expanded across the region, raising fears of a broader Middle East war. Analysts warn that the leadership vacuum in Iran following Khamenei’s death and the continuing exchange of strikes could further escalate the crisis in the coming weeks.
