'Zionist regime’s American friends have....': Khamenei says US strike plans reveal Israel’s 'weakness and inability'

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed reports of potential US military action against Tehran, suggesting that American involvement merely highlights Israel’s declining strength.

“The very fact that the Zionist regime’s American friends have entered the scene and are saying such things is a sign of that regime’s weakness and inability," Khamenei said, referring to both Israel and the United States.

The very fact that the Zionist regime’s American friends have entered the scene and are saying such things is a sign of that regime’s weakness and inability.

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) June 19, 2025

“If the enemy senses that you fear them, they won’t let go of you. Continue the very behavior that you have had up to this day; continue this behavior with strength," he added.

I would like to tell our dear nation that if the enemy senses that you fear them, they won’t let go of you. Continue the very behavior that you have had up to this day; continue this behavior with strength.

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) June 19, 2025

Khamenei has urged Iranians to stand firm in the face of growing external threats, reinforcing his call for resistance against Western pressure and intervention.

“I would like to tell our dear nation that if the enemy senses that you fear them, they won’t let go of you. Continue the very behavior that you have had up to this day; continue this behavior with strength,” he said.

His remarks come amid reports that senior US officials are preparing for a potential military strike on Iran in the coming days, a move that would mark a major escalation in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict.

Earlier, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a stark warning to Khamenei, declaring he “should not continue to exist” following a missile strike that hit a hospital near Tel Aviv.

“The cowardly Iranian dictator sits in the depths of a fortified bunker and fires missiles at hospitals and residential buildings in Israel. These are war crimes of the most serious kind — and Khamenei will be held accountable for his crimes," Katz said in a post on X.

He said that the Israeli leadership had ordered intensified military action targeting Iran.

“The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to increase the intensity of attacks against strategic targets in Iran and against government targets in Tehran in order to remove threats to Israel and undermine the Ayatollah’s regime," Katz added.

With inputs from agencies