Iran's top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vows tough response to any attack; dismisses war fears as Western 'propaganda'

Tehran: Iran’s top leader says anyone who fires one missile at his country “will be hit by 10” in response, but dismisses fears of war as “propaganda” by the West. Tensions have soared since the Donald Trump administration withdrew from the landmark 2015 nuclear accord and vowed to restore sanctions unless Iran meets a list of strict demands. [caption id=“attachment_4284251” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. AP[/caption] In a speech Monday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he had ordered atomic authorities to increase the country’s nuclear enrichment capacity. The increase he detailed in his speech would not exceed limits set by the nuclear accord, which European countries have said they hope to salvage. The agreement reached by the Obama administration, along with Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and Iran, lifted international sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear activities. The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog renewed calls for Iran to provide “timely and proactive cooperation” in inspections that are part of the deal meant to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. Yukiya Amano spoke Monday to the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. Last month, in its first report since the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal that Israel also opposes, the IAEA said that Iran continues to stay below the maximum level to which it allowed to enrich uranium and appears to be fulfilling other obligations. But it said Iran is slow when it comes to “complementary access” inspections. Amano said Tuesday that “timely and proactive cooperation by Iran in providing such access would facilitate implementation … and enhance confidence.”