Any attack by US will be ‘regional war’, Iran’s supreme leader warns | World News

Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei warned on Sunday that if the United States attacked, it would be a regional war.

Khamenei said the US wants to ‘swallow’ Iran and take control of its oil.

In a series of posts on

“We are not the party that started the war. We are not trying to oppress anyone. We are not trying to attack any country. However, anyone who wants to attack or harm will face a decisive blow from the Iranian nation. What is the issue between the USA and Iran? The issue can be summarized in two words: The USA wants to swallow Iran; the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic prevent this.”

Khamenei said that the USA has been in Iran for more than 30 years and that it controls Iran’s politics, oil, etc. He said he checked. But now Iran will prevent this.

“Iran has many attractive points: Its oil, natural gas, rich mines and geographical location are attractive. The USA wants to control this country, as it has controlled before. Americans have been in Iran for more than 30 years. Iran’s resources, oil, politics and security were in their hands. Everything was in their hands. Now that their dominance has been broken, they are trying to find a way back. The Iranian nation is standing tall and preventing this.”

He also said, “Iran stands firm and will continue to stand firm and, God willing, will put an end to the corruption and harassment of the United States.”

Earlier in the day, he spoke to a large crowd of supporters gathered to mark the anniversary of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s return to Iran from exile in France in 1979, Al Jazeera reported; this was an event that led to the Iranian Revolution and the escape of the US-backed ruler Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.

Khamenei said the United States wanted to “swallow” Iran and its vast oil and natural gas resources, adding that what happened was “akin to a coup” as many government offices, banks and mosques were raided during recent anti-government protests.

The religious leader described the deadly unrest as another “riot”, a term he has previously used for the 2009 Green Movement and other similar protests, Al Jazeera reported.