Iran's supreme leader rejects call to surrender

US President Trump says he wants something 'much bigger' than a ceasefire

- AP [e-mail] DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday rejected US calls for surrender in the face of blistering Israeli strikes and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause "irreparable damage" to them, in recorded video aired by state TV.

It was the second public appearance by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei since the Israeli strikes began, and came a day after US President Donald Trump demanded "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER" in a social media post and warned Khamenei that the US knows where he is but has no plans to kill him, "at least not for now."

Trump initially distanced himself from Israel's surprise attack on Friday that triggered the conflict, but in recent days has hinted at greater American involvement, saying he wants something "much bigger" than a ceasefire. The US has also sent more military aircraft and warships to the region.

Khamenei dismissed the "threatening and absurd statements" by Trump.

"Wise individuals who know Iran, its people, and its history never speak to this nation with the language of threats, because the Iranian nation is not one to surrender," he said in the low-resolution video, his voice echoing. "Americans should know that any military involvement by the US will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage to them."

Iran followed a similar sequence in releasing Khamenei's statement before the video was aired, perhaps as a security measure. His location is not known and was impossible to discern from the tight shot that showed only beige curtains, an Iranian flag and a portrait of Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Khamenei's immediate predecessor who died in 1989.

An Iranian diplomat had earlier Wednesday warned that US intervention would risk "all-out war."