His speech came a day after Israel’s top political and military leadership issued a series of warnings to the Islamic Republic - including one from Israel’s Defense minister Ehud Barak who declared that “If sanctions don’t achieve the desired goal of stopping [Iran’s] military nuclear program, there will be a need to consider taking action.”
The remarks by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei came during a Friday prayer ceremony in Tehran broadcast on state television.
“Threatening Iran and attacking Iran will harm America ... Sanctions will not have any impact on our determination to continue our nuclear course ... In response to threats of oil embargo and war, we have our own threats to impose at the right time,” Khamenei told worshippers in his broadcast speech.
Iran's Khamenei said the Islamic Republic would not yield to international pressure to abandon its nuclear course, threatening retaliation for sanctions aimed at Iran's oil exports.
“I have no fear of saying that we will back and help any nation or group that wants to confront and fight against the Zionist regime (Israel).”
