DUBAI, United Arab Emirates 鈥 Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday rejected U.S. calls for surrender in the face of more Israeli strikes and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause "irreparable damage to them."
The second public appearance by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei since the Israeli strikes began six days ago came as Israel lifted some restrictions on daily life, suggesting that the missile threat from Iran was easing.
Khamenei spoke a day after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded in a social media post that Iran surrender without conditions and warned Khamenei that the U.S. knows where he is but has no plans to kill him, "at least not for now."
Trump would not say Wednesday whether he has decided to order a U.S. strike on Iran, a move that Tehran warned anew would be greeted with stiff retaliation if it happens.
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President Donald Trump speaks Wednesday聽on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington.聽
鈥淚 may do it, I may not do it," Trump said in an exchange with reporters at the White House. 鈥淚 mean, nobody knows what I鈥檓 going to do.鈥
Trump added that it鈥檚 not 鈥渢oo late鈥 for Iran to give up its nuclear program as he continues to weigh direct U.S. involvement in Israel's military operations aimed at crushing Tehran's nuclear program.
Trump also offered a terse response to Khamenei's refusal to heed to his call for Iran to submit to an unconditional surrender.
鈥淚 say good luck,鈥 Trump said.
Trump initially distanced himself from Israel's surprise attack on Friday that triggered the conflict, but in recent days he hinted at greater American involvement, saying he wants something "much bigger" than a ceasefire. The U.S. also sent more military aircraft and warships to the region.
In a video address to Israelis, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed appreciation for Trump's support in the conflict, calling him "a great friend of Israel" and praising U.S. help defending Israel's skies.
"We speak constantly, including last night," he said Wednesday. "We had a very warm conversation."
This photo released Wednesday shows Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a televised speech under a portrait of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini at an undisclosed location.聽
'Not one to surrender'
Khamenei dismissed the "threatening and absurd statements" by Trump.
"Wise individuals who know Iran, its people and its history never speak to this nation with the language of threats, because the Iranian nation is not one to surrender," he said in a low-resolution video, his voice echoing.
"Americans should know that any military involvement by the U.S. will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage to them."
An Iranian diplomat warned earlier Wednesday that U.S. intervention would risk "all-out war."
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei did not elaborate, but thousands of American troops are based in nearby countries within range of Iran's weapons. The U.S. threatened a massive response to any attack.
Another Iranian official said the country would keep enriching uranium for peaceful purposes, apparently ruling out Trump's demands that Iran give up its disputed nuclear program.
Strikes in and around Tehran
Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told a news conference Wednesday that Israel launched three waves of aerial attacks in 24 hours, deploying dozens of warplanes to strike more than 60 targets in Tehran and western Iran, including missile launchers and missile-production sites.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military also struck the headquarters of Iran's internal security forces, without specifying the agency or location.聽
In addition, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said, Israel hit two centrifuge-production facilities in and near Tehran.
Israel's air campaign struck several nuclear and military sites, killing top generals and nuclear scientists. A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 585 people, including 239 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1,300 wounded.
In retaliation, Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones, killing at least 24 people in Israel and wounding hundreds. Some hit apartment buildings in central Israel, causing heavy damage.
Israeli military officials said their defenses intercepted 10 missiles overnight and several more Wednesday evening as Iran's retaliatory barrages diminished. There were no reports of injuries.
Iran fired fewer missiles as the conflict has worn on. It didn't explain the decline, but Israel targeted launchers and other infrastructure related to the missiles.
Some U.S. diplomats and their families at the U.S. embassy in Israel were evacuated Wednesday, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
A number of diplomats left on a government plane shortly before U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced that the embassy made evacuation plans for private American citizens, the officials said.
This image released Wednesday claims to show an Israeli drone near the central city of Isfahan, Iran.聽
Casualties mount in Iran
The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists said it identified 239 of those killed in Israeli strikes as civilians and 126 as security personnel.
The group, which also provided detailed casualty figures during 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, crosschecks local reports against a network of sources it has developed in Iran.
Iran has not been publishing regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. Its last update, issued Monday, put the toll at 224 people killed and 1,277 wounded.
The Iranian Communications Ministry announced that the government was limiting internet access to prevent Israel's "misuse of the country's communication network for military purposes."
Shops have been closed across Tehran, including in its famed Grand Bazaar, as people wait in gas lines and pack roads leading out of the city to escape the onslaught.
