Khamenei says revenge for predecessor’s killing ‘inevitable’

IN his first message since the funeral of his father, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has pledged to “avenge [his] innocent blood”, adding that “revenge is the will of our nation”.

US president says 1,000 missiles are “locked and loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran” with thousands more to follow if it tries to assassinate him.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticised the United States over its failure to uphold the interim agreement, warning that the administration’s actions demonstrate a clear breach of established commitments.

Araghchi is taking part in talks in Oman in a bid for a diplomatic solution.

US-Iran conflict ‘escalation looks inevitable’

Mostafa Khoshcheshm, a professor at the University of Applied Sciences and Technology in Tehran, told Al Jazeera that millions of Iranians have been “demanding revenge”, even before the funeral procession of the late Ali Khamenei.

“Every night that Iranian people appeared in the streets, this is actually a response to the growing public demand,” he said, referring to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s statement pledging to avenge the killing of his father.

“I don’t believe there is anyone in the world who would say that the Americans are justified in killing the Iranian leader and top generals, and Iranians should sit idly,” Khoshcheshm said. “If Americans do not pay the price, they will go on and kill the new supreme leader as they have been warning.”

The professor added that “an escalation seems inevitable because Americans have never been loyal to any kind of deal with Iran.”