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Iran's ambassador to Russia warned the United States on Saturday that it will face "severe retaliation" if it attempts to assassinate Tehran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, saying Iranians want "blood revenge" for the killing of his father, Ali Khamenei.
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Kazem Jalali, Iran's ambassador to Moscow, made the remarks in an interview with Russia's Sputnik media network.
When asked what Iran's response would be if the U.S. and Israel attempted to assassinate Mojtaba Khamenei, Jalali said: "You are seeing Iran's response today."
"We want blood revenge for our leader. The people are angry and demand revenge for the bloodshed. Naturally, the Americans have faced and will face severe retaliation in the future," he said.
Jalali added that a decision on punishing those responsible for the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would be made in Tehran "at the appropriate time." He described the killing of the supreme leader as a destabilizing factor whose consequences are difficult to predict.
Jalali also denied U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that Tehran had been planning an assassination attempt against him.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran did not attempt to assassinate the U.S. president and was seeking his punishment through international courts," Jalali told Russian media outlet RIA Novosti.
He suggested Trump was making such statements to boost his own popularity, noting that U.S. intelligence agencies had not confirmed Trump's claim either.
Jalali also stated that amid the ongoing conflict, no one in Tehran is thinking about negotiations with Washington.
"The primary task of the country is the protection of national sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.
He noted, however, that Iran has historically never abandoned the negotiating table, adding that, "The Islamic Republic of Iran never left the negotiating table, because it is confident in the nature of its nuclear program and sees no obstacles to confidence-building measures and transparency regarding itself."
He described Iran as currently being subjected to "brutal aggression" by the U.S. and Israel.
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Since Israel and the U.S. launched joint attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, killing at least 1,200 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, hostilities have escalated.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military assets.
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