Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded to reports that the US may be considering conducting a strike on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying this would be viewed as a declaration of war on the Iranian people in a post on X/Twitter on Sunday.
"Any aggression against the supreme leader of our country is tantamount to all-out war against the Iranian nation," he wrote.
"If the people of Iran face hardship and difficulties in their lives, one of the main reasons for it is the longstanding enmity and inhumane sanctions imposed by the US government and its allies," he accused.
Pezeshkian's statements come after anti-Khamenei rhetoric from US President Donald Trump, particularly during a Saturday interview with Politico.
"It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran," Trump commented.
“I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Tuesday. “HELP IS ON ITS WAY.”
Khamenei also called Trump a criminal during a Saturday speech, saying that the US president is "guilty for the casualties, damages, and slander he inflicted on the Iranian nation."
"Western media figures interfered in past seditions, but this time the US president himself encouraged the sedionists," Khamenei said.
He went on to say that both the US and the "Zionist regime" are guilty.
Khamenei emphasized that he did not want to lead the country to war but that he would not spare criminals, whether domestic or foreign.
Iran's FM reassured Witkoff on 'canceled' executions, prompting Trump to call off strikes - Washington Post
The perceived threats against Iran's leader also follow Trump calling off strikes on Iran after deciding that the potential benefit wasn't worth the consequences, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.
On Wednesday, a US strike on Iran seemed imminent. Widespread reports stated allies had been alerted and that ships and planes were on the move.
However, within the White House, Trump was receiving conflicting advice.
A US official and a person close to the White House said that Vice President JD Vance supported strikes on Iran, the Washington Post claimed, with his reasoning being that Trump had drawn a red line in his warning Iran not to kill protesters, and now had an obligation to enforce it.
Israelis widely support IAF joining US Air Force in strikes on Iran - poll
Meanwhile, a clear majority (70%) of Israelis support Israel joining a hypothetical US attack on Iran, a poll released by Maariv revealed on Friday.
Twenty-nine percent of respondents said they would support Israel joining the attack only if Tehran attacked or was prepared to attack Israel, while 44 percent said they would support Israel’s participation regardless of Iran’s actions.
Nineteen percent of respondents believed that an attack should be left for the US alone.
Corinne Baum, Tzvi Jasper, and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.