Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has vowed revenge for the killing of his father and predecessor, while US President Donald Trump warned Tehran that the United States was prepared to launch overwhelming military strikes if Iran attempted to assassinate him, reports CNN.
In his first public message since his father’s funeral, Khamenei said in a written statement carried by Iranian state media that “revenge is the demand of our nation and must certainly be carried out.”
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform late Friday, said US missiles were “locked and loaded” and ready to strike Iran if Tehran acted on what he described as threats against him.
“Missiles are locked and loaded,” Trump wrote, warning of a massive military response should Iran attempt to assassinate the US president.
The warning followed reports that Israeli intelligence had shared information with Washington about an alleged Iranian plot targeting Trump.
Despite the escalating rhetoric, diplomatic efforts continued.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi travelled to Oman on Saturday for talks on the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping traffic has slowed following recent attacks. Mediators are attempting to revive US-Iran negotiations, while Washington is seeking assurances from Tehran that commercial vessels will not be targeted in the strategic waterway.
According to senior Iranian sources, Khamenei sustained facial injuries and other wounds in the US-Israeli strike that killed his father and four other family members. He has not appeared in public since being appointed supreme leader on 8 March and was absent from the week-long funeral ceremonies, which concluded with his father’s burial on Thursday.
Iranian authorities said millions of mourners attended funeral processions in Tehran and Qom, as well as in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala, before the final burial in Mashhad. State-linked sources claimed total attendance exceeded 30 million. Chants and banners calling for Trump’s death were widely reported during the ceremonies.
In a separate Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump reiterated that the ceasefire with Iran was effectively over following Iranian attacks on commercial tankers near the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week.
He nevertheless said Washington had agreed to continue diplomatic contacts after Iran requested further talks.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue talks. We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the ceasefire is over,” Trump wrote.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf rejected any suggestion that Tehran would capitulate under US pressure, saying Iran remained fully prepared to defend itself if Washington abandoned the Pakistani-mediated understanding underpinning the fragile ceasefire.
“We have never stopped preparing to defend our country,” Ghalibaf said. “Ending the war is a priority for the countries of the world, but everyone should know that this conflict will never end with Iran’s surrender.”
While Washington and Tehran continued exchanging threats, diplomatic contacts remained active behind the scenes. Qatari mediators were also reported to have travelled to Tehran in an effort to revive stalled negotiations.
However, Iran’s Fars News Agency, citing an informed source, reported that no formal negotiations would take place unless the United States softened its current position.
US officials, meanwhile, said Washington remained committed to pursuing a diplomatic settlement despite this week’s military exchanges, insisting that any agreement would require Iran to accept restrictions on its nuclear programme and transfer its nuclear material.
