Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has vowed that revenge for the killing of his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, will be carried out, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump warned Tehran against any attempt to assassinate him.

 

 

The exchange of threats comes as efforts continue to preserve a fragile ceasefire following weeks of fighting between Iran, the United States and Israel. The conflict began in late February with large-scale U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Ali Khamenei.

 

 

In his first public message since his father’s funeral, Mojtaba Khamenei said retribution remained a national objective regardless of who was in power. “Vengeance is the will of our nation and must inevitably be carried out,” he said in a written statement. “This matter depends neither on my personal existence nor on that of other officials. Whether we are present or not, it will come to pass.”

 

 

He also claimed Iran had compiled a list of individuals to be targeted, though he did not provide further details. Earlier on Saturday, Trump issued a stern warning on his Truth Social platform, saying any attempt on his life would trigger overwhelming military retaliation.

 

 

The U.S. president said thousands of missiles were ready to strike Iran and warned that the American military had standing orders to “completely decimate” the country if Tehran acted on any assassination threats against him. The latest war of words follows renewed military exchanges this week that threatened an interim agreement aimed at ending hostilities. While Trump has declared the ceasefire effectively over, diplomatic efforts are continuing behind the scenes.

 

 

Iranian media reported that a Qatari delegation visited Tehran on Friday, July 10, in an attempt to revive negotiations, while Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, insisted Tehran had honoured its commitments under a memorandum of understanding signed last month. “There can only be mutual compliance,” Araghchi said, maintaining that Iran had fulfilled its obligations.

 

 

One of the major sticking points in negotiations remains the Strait of Hormuz. Iran closed the strategic waterway during the conflict in response to U.S.-Israeli military action and has since announced plans to regulate shipping through the strait, including imposing transit fees. The United States has rejected the move, arguing that international law protects freedom of navigation through the waterway, which is one of the world’s most important routes for global oil and gas exports.

 

 

Araghchi travelled to Oman on Saturday, July 11, for talks related to the administration of the strait, while reports from Axios and Politico said Washington had given Tehran until Saturday to cease attacks on commercial vessels and recognise the waterway as open to international shipping.

 

 

The recent escalation followed accusations that Iran targeted three commercial ships it claimed had deviated from approved routes. In response, the United States launched airstrikes on approximately 90 targets across Iran, according to the U.S. military.

 

 

Iran’s health ministry said the strikes killed 17 people and injured at least 115 others. The attacks also prompted Iranian retaliatory actions against Gulf states hosting U.S. military bases.

 

 

Despite the heightened rhetoric, regional mediators, including Qatar and Pakistan, continue to push for renewed diplomacy. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had urged Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to preserve the “hard-earned peace” in the region.

 

 

However, Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, signalled that Tehran remains prepared for further confrontation. “Ending the war is a priority for the countries of the world, but everyone must know that this confrontation will never end with Iran’s surrender,” he said, adding that Iranians were fully prepared to defend themselves.