A representative of Ali Khamenei at Iran’s Defense Ministry issued a stark warning to the United States and Israel, saying Iran is “not afraid of death” and cautioning that any further miscalculation would bring missile strikes against Israel and U.S. bases in the region.

He rejected what he called illegitimate demands from adversaries and invoked Iran’s history, criticizing Reza Khan as a ruler who oppressed the people while serving Western interests, and alleging that foreign powers later installed his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, as an even more compliant successor.