TEHRAN, June 18 — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand for “unconditional surrender,” as thousands of residents fled Tehran amid a fresh wave of Israeli airstrikes and fears of wider conflict.
In his first public appearance since Friday, Khamenei, 86, appeared in a pre-recorded televised address, warning Washington against escalating hostilities. “Any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage,” he said. “Intelligent people who know Iran and its history will never speak to this nation in threatening language because the Iranian nation will not surrender.”
The rebuke followed a flurry of provocative social media posts by Trump, who oscillated between proposing diplomacy and threatening Khamenei directly. On Tuesday, he wrote on Truth Social: “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now … Our patience is wearing thin.” Minutes later, he demanded Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”
The war rhetoric coincided with intense Israeli bombardment of the Iranian capital. Israel’s military said 50 jets struck 20 strategic targets in Tehran overnight, including sites linked to missile production. Sirens blared across Israeli cities in response to retaliatory missile launches from Iran, some of which bypassed air defenses and killed 24 civilians, according to Israeli authorities.
In Tehran, highways leading out of the city were gridlocked as residents rushed to escape. “We will stay in Lavasan as long as this war continues,” said Arezou, 31, who fled to the resort town just outside the capital. “My friend’s house was attacked. Her brother was injured. They are civilians. Why are we paying for the regime’s nuclear ambitions?”
The conflict has marked a dramatic escalation, with Iranian missiles penetrating Israeli defenses for the first time in years of proxy and shadow warfare. Israeli military officials reported that Iran has launched over 400 missiles since Friday, 40 of which struck their targets.
Israeli strikes have meanwhile devastated parts of Iran, killing at least 224 people—mostly civilians—according to Iranian officials. The toll has not been updated in recent days. State media coverage has been curbed, with public filming banned and fewer images of destruction broadcast than in the war’s early days. Fuel purchase limits have also been imposed amid fears of shortages. “We will ensure public supply is stable,” Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said on state TV.
In Washington, Trump abandoned a G7 summit to confer with security officials, a move seen as a signal that U.S. involvement could intensify. A source familiar with internal discussions said options on the table include joining Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Russia warned the world was “millimetres away from catastrophe,” and Germany urged Iran to provide credible assurances that it is not pursuing nuclear weapons. “Negotiation must remain possible,” said the German foreign minister.
Iran’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, said Tehran would retaliate “strongly and without restraint” if the U.S. engages directly. “We already consider the U.S. complicit in Israel’s actions,” he said.
Inside Iran, the war has claimed the lives of several top military and security officials, narrowing Khamenei’s inner circle and raising concerns about miscalculated decisions. According to five individuals with knowledge of internal dynamics, the loss of key advisers has left the Supreme Leader increasingly isolated.
Iran is also hinting at broader regional disruptions. Former Economy Minister Ehsan Khandouzi posted on X that Tehran should swiftly begin requiring permission for tankers using the Strait of Hormuz—a key oil route—though the government has yet to comment.
As the region teeters on the edge, many civilians on both sides remain caught in the crossfire. “I feel scared, overwhelmed,” said Tamar Weiss, an Israeli mother sheltering in a train station with her baby. “Our buildings are old. We have no safe spaces.”
The coming days could prove decisive, as military posturing, political threats, and civilian suffering collide in one of the region’s gravest escalations in decades.
