Iran's supreme leader defies Trump with ‘never surrender' vow
Iran's supreme leader vowed he would not surrender despite a wave of fresh Israeli air strikes on Wednesday.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei struck a defiant tone in a low-resolution video message aired on Iranian state TV, after missiles destroyed his regime's national security headquarters.
The supreme leader said: '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,' the Supreme Leader said.
'Americans should know that any military involvement by the US will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage to them.'
The national address, his second since the war began last Friday, followed threats by Donald Trump that the US might join the war, unless there was 'total surrender' from Tehran.
On Wednesday, the US president remained evasive, telling reporters at the White House: ' Nobody knows what I'm going to do. '
'Next week will be decisive regarding Iran, and it may happen before the end of the week,' Mr Trump added.
After Wednesday's strikes, Israel Katz, the Israeli defence minister, said: 'Air Force jets have just destroyed the internal security headquarters of the Iranian regime – the main arm of repression of the Iranian dictator.'
Mr Katz did not name the security organisation in his statement, but may have been referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Intelligence Organisation, IRGC-IO, the main internal security agency established in 2009.
He added that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would continue to 'strike symbols of governance and hit the Ayatollah regime wherever it may be'.
Fars, the semi-official Iranian news agency, reported that Israeli jets targeted Payam International Airport on Wednesday. Emergency rescue teams were working at the scene, in north-west Tehran, it added.
Iranian officials have admitted the loss of an important radar system that supports Iran's air defence network. Fars and Isna, another Iranian news agency, reported that the Soubashi radar facility in Hamedan province had to be fitted with a replacement system.
Earlier on Wednesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Israel had struck two centrifuge production sites in Tehran and in the north-western city of Karaj.
Iran's centrifuges are key to its nuclear programme as they are used to enrich uranium, but many of them are understood to be deep underground and difficult to reach with air strikes.
According to the IAEA, Israel struck 'centrifuge production facilities' at the Tesa Karaj workshop and the Tehran Research Centre.
'Both sites were previously under IAEA monitoring and verification as part of the JCPOA,' it said, referring to the now-defunct Iran nuclear deal which eased sanctions on Tehran in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.
A building used to develop and test advanced rotors for centrifuges was hit at the site in Tehran, while in Karaj two buildings used to store centrifuge components were destroyed, it said.
Iranian state television later aired footage that appeared to show the remnants of an Israeli Hermes drone that crashed near the central city of Isfahan.
Israeli officials confirmed that one of its drones 'fell' in Iran, but said there were no injuries involved and 'no risk of an information breach'.
As some Iranians flee Tehran, relatives of those languishing in the regime's prisons fear for their safety.
According to the Iran Press News Agency, an Israeli strike on a missile depot in the central city of Kermanshah caused damage to a nearby prison, Dizelabad. The explosion caused panic and a riot as prisoners tried to escape from their cells, the agency said.
A source in Iran told the Telegraph: 'We are only hoping that this madness will finish as soon as possible and we can return to a normal life, even though normalcy has long lost its meaning in this country.'
Hundreds of Pakistanis living in Tehran sought to leave the country via the Taftan crossing, situated on a 560-mile land border controlled by smugglers and armed groups.
'We left everything behind and carried just one bag containing some necessities and food items,' Mr Ijaz said. 'We are five family members, but we carried just one bag. We just left, and left everything else there.'
Pakistan has closed some of its border crossings with Iran, but those at Taftan and Gabd-Rimdan in south-west Balochistan were still open as of Wednesday for citizens fleeing back into Pakistan.
On Wednesday evening, several Iranian government planes flew from Iran to Muscat, in Oman, according to online aircraft tracking data.
Iranian officials denied that the planes were carrying negotiators and it was not clear who was on board.
Iran appeared to be trying to cut off internet access in large swathes of the country on Wednesday night.
The country was 'in the midst of a near-total national internet blackout', the UK-based internet tracking website NetlBlocks said in a post on X.
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