ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned the United States on Sunday that any new conflict would escalate into a wider regional war, as tensions mount over Tehran’s nuclear program.
“The Americans should know that if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war,” Khamenei said in a post on X.
His remarks come amid heightened pressure from Washington, with US President Donald Trump weighing military action if Iran fails to reach a nuclear agreement. Trump said on Sunday that Tehran is “seriously talking” to Washington, expressing hope that negotiations would lead to an acceptable deal as American warships remain stationed off Iran’s coast.
In a separate post later on Sunday, Khamenei said Iran does not seek conflict. “We are not the initiators of war. We do not seek to oppress anyone. We do not seek to attack any country,” he wrote, adding that any attack on Iran would be met with “a decisive blow from the Iranian nation.”
Ali Larijani, a senior Iranian security official, said late Saturday that a framework for talks between Tehran and Washington was taking shape.