Iran-Israel War: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has declared that the “battle has begun”. He posted a series of images and declarations on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, stating Iran would “never compromise with the Zionists” and calling for a “strong response”, adding that they will not show any “mercy to Zionists”. The posts come after US President Donald Trump said that he knows where Khamenei is and demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender”.

“We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime. We will show the Zionists no mercy,” Khamenei wrote on X.

These comments were accompanied by religiously charged imagery and rhetoric. Khamenei’s posts appeared to cast the attacks as part of a larger ideological conflict. Accompanying the “battle begins” message was an image depicting a man entering a castle gate, a reference to the historic Battle of Khaybar.

Trump, who cut short his G7 visit and returned to the US, took to Truth Social yesterday and posted, “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin.”

In another post, he demanded “unconditional surrender”. He also said that the US has complete control of Iranian skies. “Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, and plenty of it, but it doesn’t compare to American-made, conceived, and manufactured ‘stuff’. Nobody does it better than the good ol’ USA,” he wrote in yet another post.

White House urges restraint

The White House released a statement calling for restraint, urging all parties to de-escalate. Despite this, US President Donald Trump cut short his participation in the G7 Summit and convened an emergency meeting in the White House Situation Room on June 17.

In a stark address, Trump said: “We don’t want missiles shot at civilians or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin.” 

The statements come amid violent exchanges between Israel and Iran. According to Iran’s Ministry of Health, at least 224 people have been killed in Iranian territory due to Israeli airstrikes since Friday. Israel, meanwhile, has reported 24 fatalities. Iranian state media also accused Israel of launching a major cyber offensive targeting Iran’s digital infrastructure.

With nearly 15 projectiles at 12:40 AM, triggering sirens, Iran launched a series of missiles across Israel. The second wave with 10 rockets hit nearly 40 minutes later which prompted alerts. Meanwhile, attacks continued from Israel, explosions were reported from key strategic locations.