"Will force them to retreat and surrender": Senior Advisor of Iran's Supreme Leader warns Trump
Tehran, May 19
Senior Advisor of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, Mohsen Rezaee, has warned US President Donald Trump over the latter's repeated threats of attack, stating that the "iron fist of Iran's armed forces will force the US to retreat and surrender."
Taking shots at Trump over the US President's claim of "putting off" a planned attack on Iran, Mohsen Rezaee pointed out the indecisive nature of the US President and stated that he has a "vain hope" of making Iran surrender.
"He sets a deadline for a military strike and then cancels it himself! With this vain hope of making the Iranian nation and officials surrender! The iron fist of the powerful armed forces and the great Iranian nation will force them to retreat and surrender," Rezaee said in a post on X.
Trump on Monday said that he has "put off" a planned attack on Iran for a short period amid "big discussions" with the country over the ongoing West Asia crisis.
Addressing reporters, Trump said that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and some other countries had requested the US to delay the action for a few days as they believed negotiations were close to yielding a deal.
"I put it (attack on Iran) off for a little while, hopefully maybe forever, but possibly for a little while because we've had very big discussions with Iran, and we'll see what they amount to. I was asked by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and some others if we could put it off for two or three days, a short period of time, because they think that they are getting very close to making a deal...It's a very positive development, but we'll see whether or not it amounts to anything," said Trump.
He further stated that multiple countries were directly engaging with US officials and Iran in an effort to resolve the situation diplomatically. "I was called by these three countries, plus others, and they're dealing directly with our people and right now, Iran. There seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out. If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I will be very happy," said Trump.
Earlier, President Trump turned down Iran's peace proposal to stop the ongoing West Asia crisis, saying that it falls short of expectations and does not represent any meaningful progress towards a deal, according to Axios, citing a senior US official and a source briefed on the matter.
The development comes at a sensitive moment, with Washington weighing both diplomatic and military options as tensions over Iran's nuclear programme continue to escalate. US officials say President Donald Trump is still seeking a negotiated settlement but is increasingly frustrated by Tehran's refusal to accept what Washington considers essential concessions.
Iran's latest counter-proposal was reportedly delivered on Sunday night through Pakistani mediators. According to a senior US official quoted by Axios, the revised text contains only limited changes compared to previous submissions.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Interesting how both sides are posturing. Trump's "putting off" an attack sounds like a face-saving measure, while Iran's advisor is returning fire with strong rhetoric. The mediators (Saudi, UAE, Qatar) seem genuinely interested in peace. Hopefully, diplomacy wins, otherwise the whole region - including India's energy and trade links - could suffer badly.
Yeh sab drama hai. Trump ne Iran pe attack karne ka plan banaya, phir cancel kiya? Aaj kal toh aise hi chal raha hai. But India ke liye stability zaroori hai, kyunki humare expats Gulf mein kaam karte hain. Koi bhi war humare bhale ke liye nahi. Shanti ho toh achha, lekin Iran ko bhi apna point rakhne ka haq hai.
This advisor's language is very confrontational - "iron fist" and "force them to surrender" sounds like schoolyard talk from both sides. I think Trump's indecisiveness is a legitimate criticism, but Rezaee's response doesn't help de-escalate. The Middle East doesn't need another war. India has a role as a neutral voice here - perhaps we can encourage both to sit down and talk.
I'm worried about our oil prices! India imports a lot from Iran and the Gulf. If tensions escalate, common Indians will bear the brunt at petrol pumps. Trump ne tweet karke dhamki de di, Iran ne jawab de diya, lekin beech mein humare jaisi developing countries suffer karein. Please koi diplomacy karein, war nahi. 🙏
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