Iran’s Supreme Leader greets students, Tehran, November 2, 2024


UPDATE, 0714 GMT:

The Islamic Republic’s currency, already at an all-time low, is sinking amid the prospect of military confrontation with Israel.

The rial dropped farther to 698,000:1 v. the US dollar on Tehran exchanges on Sunday morning.

The currency stood at 45,000:1 in early 2018 but has recurrently plummeted amid international sanctions, economic problems, and regional uncertainty.

In the past month, the rial has fallen around 15%.


ORIGINAL ENTRY: Scrambling for legitimacy amid domestic problems and Israel’s pressure, Iran’s Supreme Leader has pledged a “teeth-breaking response” to the Israelis.

Ayatollah Khamenei was addressing students on Saturday, a week after Israeli airstrikes damaged Iranian military sites including air defense batteries.

That attack was a response to Iran’s firing of 181 ballistic missiles into Israel on October 1. Tehran’s assault — which caused little substantive damage beyond a base in the Negev desert — followed months of Israeli operations including the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31 and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut on September 27.

EA on The Focus VideoCast: Israel, Iran, and War in the Middle East

Khamenei told the students:

The enemies, both the US and the Zionist regime, should know that they will definitely receive a teeth-breaking response for what they are doing against Iran and the Resistance Front.

This is not merely a matter of revenge but a logical action — an approach aligned with religion, ethics, and the Sharia, in accordance with international regulations.

The Supreme Leader was marking the November 4, 1979 seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran by students, now commemorated as the National Day of the Fight against Global Arrogance.

Referring to the occupation, with 52 US citizens held hostage for 444 days, Khamenei said:

Esmail Kowsari, a member of Parliament’s National Security Committee, said Saturday that the National Security Council had agreed on a response but not yet on its date and scope.

Kowsari said the attack would be executed in coordination with other “resistance groups” in the region and would be stronger than the October 1 ballistic missile attack.

US Warns Iran Against Attack

The US has warned Iran in recent days that it will not be able to restrain Israel if Tehran attacks Israeli territory again, according to an “unnamed US official and former Israeli official”.

The US official said, “We told the Iranians: We won’t be able to hold Israel back, and we won’t be able to make sure that the next attack will be calibrated and targeted as the previous one.”

He said the message had been conveyed directly to the Iranians. The Israeli source said it was passed to Tehran via Switzerland, which represents US interests in Iran.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Friday that the Biden Administration has “been very clear that Iran should not respond” and that “we will continue to support Israel”.

Pentagon Press Secretary Gen. Pat Ryder said the US is moving additional ballistic missile defense destroyers, fighter squadron and tanker aircraft, and several US Air Force B-52 long-range strike bombers to the Middle East.

“[Defense] Secretary Austin continues to make clear that should Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every measure necessary to defend our people,” Ryder said.