Trump hits back at Iran supreme leader’s war threat ‘we will find out if he is right’

Donald Trump has hit back at Iran’s supreme leader who warned him that any US attack on his soil would spark a regional war.

The 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the most direct threat to America since the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was sent by Trump to the Arabian Sea during Tehran’s bloody crackdown on protests.

Khamenei spoke to a crowd at his compound in Tehran as Iran marked the start of a days-long commemoration of the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

He, at one point, described the US as being interested in its oil, natural gas and other mineral resources, saying that they wanted to ‘seize this country, just as they controlled it before.’

‘The Americans must be aware that if they wage a war this time, it will be a regional war,’ he said.

Asked about the warning, Trump on Sunday told reporters that the US ‘has the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there, very close, a couple of days, and hopefully we’ll make a deal.

‘If we don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether or not he was right.’

The supreme leader added that: ‘We are not the instigators, we are not going to be unfair to anyone, we don’t plan to attack any country. But if anyone shows greed and wants to attack or harass, the Iranian nation will deal a heavy blow to them.’

Khamenei also hardened his position on the demonstrations after earlier acknowledging some people had legitimate economic grievances that sparked their protests. The demonstrations began on December 28, initially over the collapse of Iran’s rial currency. It soon grew into a direct challenge to Khamenei’s rule.

‘The recent sedition was similar to a coup. Of course, the coup was suppressed,’ he said. ‘Their goal was to destroy sensitive and effective centers involved in running the country, and for this reason they attacked the police, government centers, (Revolutionary Guard) facilities, banks and mosques — and burned copies of the Quran. They targeted centers that run the country.’

The US based Human Rights Activists New Agency, which relies on a network inside Iran to verify its information, reports that over 49,500 people have been detained in the crackdown. It says the violence killed at least 6,713 people, the vast majority of them demonstrators.

As of January 21, Iran’s government put the death toll at a far lower 3,117, saying 2,427 were civilians and security forces, labeling the rest ‘terrorists.’

In the past, Iran’s theocracy has undercounted or not reported fatalities from unrest.

That death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the 1979 revolution.

Trump has laid out two red lines for military action: the killing of peaceful protesters or the possible mass execution of those detained in a major crackdown over the demonstrations.

He’s increasingly begun discussing Iran’s nuclear program as well, which the US negotiated over with Tehran in multiple sessions before Israel launched a 12-day war with Iran back in June.

It came after a shopkeeper on the brink of being executed in Iran for his role in the anti-regime protests was released on bail.

Erfan Soltani, 26, faced the death penalty after being detained during mass protests in January.

Iranian authorities appeared to make a U-turn after US President Donald Trump threatened to strike the country if they executed prisoners.

Human rights organisation Hengaw reports that Soltani was released on bail on Saturday.