Israel ‘dog on a leash’ of US, says Khamenei, warns of ‘bigger blows’ next time

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday called Israel a United States’ “dog on a leash” and a “cancerous tumour” and added that the US is an accomplice to all Israeli crimes. Khamenei further said that Iran is ready to respond to any renewed military attack and that it could deliver even ‘bigger blows’ to its adversaries than it did during the 12-day war with Israel. “The fact that our nation is ready to face the power of the United States and its dog on a leash, the Zionist regime (Israel), is very praiseworthy,” Khamenei said.

“The base attacked by Iran was an extremely sensitive American regional base, and an even bigger blow could be inflicted on the US and others,” Khamenei said.

Last month, the United States had launched strikes on Iran’s nuclear and military facilities, and in response, Iran had struck a US base in Qatar.

Iran is under pressure to agree to a nuclear deal with the US, as Washington and three European powers have set an August-end deadline for the deal. France’s foreign minister said that if there is no progress, then a “snapback” mechanism will automatically impose all international sanctions that were lifted under the 2015 Iran deal—the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

‘Tehran will not resume nuclear talks with the US unless…’

However, Iran’s parliament shared a statement on Wednesday saying that Tehran will not resume nuclear talks with the US unless its preconditions are met.

“In both the diplomatic and military fields, whenever we enter the stage, we do so with our hands full and not from a position of weakness,” Khamenei said in the statement, adding that diplomats should heed “guidelines” and continue their work.

In a statement published on his website, Khamenei said Israel’s attacks during the 12-day war were intended to weaken the Islamic Republic’s system and spark unrest to topple it.

“The calculation and plan of the aggressors was to weaken the system by targeting certain figures and sensitive centres in Iran,” said Khamenei. He also slammed the US for aiding Israel in its attacks on Iranian soil and said America is “an accomplice to Israel’s crimes”.

The Iran and Israel conflict started with an Israeli attack on June 13 to stop the Iranian nuclear programme from progressing.

The Israeli strikes killed senior military commanders, nuclear scientists, and hundreds of civilians in Iran, with the total death toll at 1,060, according to Iranian officials.

Retaliatory Iranian drone and missile barrages killed around 28 people in Israel, according to official figures.

The US launched strikes against Iran’s nuclear programme on June 22, hitting the uranium enrichment facility at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz.

President Donald Trump said the US strikes carried out by the B2 Bomber planes that dropped bunker-buster bombs, “totally obliterated” the targeted nuclear facilities.