An Iranian government official has accused United States President Donald Trump of crossing a “very dangerous red line” following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warning that Tehran has no choice but to respond.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with CNN on Sunday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said the assassination of the country’s top religious and political authority would provoke strong reactions among Shiite Muslims worldwide.
“From a religious aspect, he was a great religious leader,” Khatibzadeh said.
“Many Shiite followers across the region and around the world are going to react to that.
President Trump passed a very dangerous red line.”
The Iranian official stressed that retaliation was inevitable following the strikes.
“We have no option but to respond,” he added.
The remarks come after coordinated military strikes on Saturday that killed Khamenei, triggering a sharp escalation in regional tensions.
Iran subsequently launched a wave of retaliatory attacks across the Middle East, targeting countries hosting U.S. military bases, including Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
According to regional reports, the strikes have continued throughout the weekend, causing civilian casualties, damaging infrastructure, and disrupting air and maritime traffic in several Gulf states.
Khatibzadeh said Tehran had previously warned Gulf Arab governments about the presence of U.S. military installations, which Iran considers a direct threat to its security.
“We communicated with them either shut down those American bases that are constantly threatening Iran, or we would have no option but to push back,” he said.
He added that Iran lacks the capability to directly strike U.S. territory and therefore views American military bases abroad as legitimate targets.
“Iran cannot reach American soil, so we have no option but to attack bases under U.S. jurisdiction,” he said.
When asked whether diplomacy remained possible, the deputy foreign minister expressed skepticism, accusing Washington of repeatedly undermining diplomatic efforts and initiating the current conflict.
“If President Trump didn’t want Iran to hit back, he should not have started this war from the beginning,” Khatibzadeh said, describing the confrontation as “a war of choice.”
CNN.
