Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei once again threatened Israel, saying on Saturday that the “Zionist regime” is “a dangerous, deadly cancerous tumor in the region” that “must be uprooted [and] will be uprooted.”
The Iranian dictator issued his threat during a public event in Tehran, according to state news agency IRNA.
He charged Israel with being “the source of corruption, the source of war, and the source of discord” in the Middle East.
Khamenei also addressed U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, describing his remarks as a “disgrace to the American nation.”
“Trump said he wanted to use power for peace; he lied. He and American officials, American administration, used power to massacre Gaza, to incite war wherever they could, and to support their own mercenaries,” the supreme leader said.
The ayatollah went on to say that the Islamic Republic is seeking to enhance its power for purposes of “peace and security,” according to Iran’s state news.
On Friday, British, French and German officials met with an Iranian delegation in Istanbul in an attempt to replace the 2015 nuclear deal with a new pact.
The European powers, known as the E3, have reportedly considered restoring U.N. sanctions on the Islamic Republic in response to its continued breaches of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action accord, particularly its enrichment of uranium beyond the permitted level of 3.67%.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned that any attempt to trigger the “snapback” of sanctions would have “irreversible consequences.”
“Iran and the three European countries are determined to maintain and make optimal use of diplomacy,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi tweeted on Friday in the wake of the talks.
“We will meet again to continue the discussions if necessary,” he wrote.
The Istanbul talks come as speculation grows over a potential fifth round of indirect U.S.-Iran negotiations. American officials have signaled cautious optimism, though no timeline has been confirmed.
The Europeans are not part of the Washington-Tehran talks and have bemoaned a lack of clarity over the Trump administration’s policy with regard to Iran, according to Reuters.
The report further suggested that the E3 have until Oct. 18 to trigger the so-called snapback mechanism before the 2015 resolution expires.
