Ali Khamenei's Reaction to US Warnings: You Will Not Succeed, You Will Be Hit

Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, reacted to recent US warnings to Iran by stating that "Americans should know that they will never achieve anything through threats against Iran." A day earlier, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, had said that Donald Trump's recent letter to the Supreme Leader had more of a "threatening aspect." Khamenei, speaking to a group of his supporters on the first day of Farvardin 1404, warned US officials that if they commit what he called "malice" against the Iranian nation, they will "receive a hard slap." He added that the Islamic Republic has always had "clear positions" regarding Israel and the Palestinian issue, and although it has "never been the initiator of conflict," if someone starts, they should know they will receive hard slaps. An American official and two sources familiar with the content of the US President's letter to Iran told Axios that Trump has given Tehran a two-month deadline to reach a new nuclear agreement with Washington. It is still unclear whether this two-month deadline starts from the time the letter was delivered or from the start of negotiations; however, if Iran rejects this offer and does not enter negotiations, the likelihood of military action by the US or Israel against Iran's nuclear facilities will significantly increase. Khamenei's statements today seem to be a reaction not only to Trump's earlier remarks that "very, very soon things will happen" regarding Iran and that "we have reached final movements regarding Iran," but also to this part of Trump's letter. The Supreme Leader did not provide further details on Tehran's potential response to possible military actions by the US and Israel against Iran, but prior to the destruction of many of the Islamic Republic's proxy groups in the region, there were always speculations about their actions against US or Israeli interests if these two countries attacked Iran. Despite this, Khamenei rejected the activities of groups known as the "Resistance Axis" as proxies of the Islamic Republic in the region, stating that the Islamic Republic "does not need proxies." He stated: "American and European politicians make a big mistake by considering the centers of resistance in the region as proxies of Iran. They insult them. What does proxy mean? The Yemeni nation has motivation. The others have motivation. These nations themselves have grievances, and it's not about proxy." This statement comes while some officials of the Islamic Republic have previously explicitly referred to these groups as Iranian proxies. Since Trump regained power in the United States as President, he has revived the "maximum pressure" policy on Iran, but at the same time has expressed a willingness to negotiate with the Islamic Republic to encourage its officials to reach a new nuclear agreement. Iran has always denied efforts to produce nuclear weapons. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency has warned that Tehran has significantly increased uranium enrichment to 60%, which is close to the 90% required for nuclear weapons production.