Iran's supreme leader in a new statement warns of 'unforgettable lessons' if U.S. continues attacks

By — Jon Gambrell, Associated Press Jon Gambrell, Associated Press By — Toqa Ezzidin, Associated Press Toqa Ezzidin, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/irans-supreme-leader-in-a-new-statement-warns-of-unforgettable-lessons-if-u-s-continues-attacks Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Iran's supreme leader in a new statement warns of 'unforgettable lessons' if U.S. continues attacks World Updated on Jul 18, 2026 1:13 PM EDT — Published on Jul 18, 2026 11:34 AM EDT DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran's supreme leader warned of "unforgettable lessons" Saturday if the United States keeps attacking the Islamic Republic and called President Donald Trump's signature "worthless and invalid." The comments came hours after a negotiator said Tehran was suspending its commitments to the interim deal signed about a month ago. The statement attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei, still unseen since the war began, was read out on state television after the United States and Iran again exchanged strikes aimed at infrastructure and military targets. READ MORE: 3 islands help control access to the Strait of Hormuz. They're in the crosshairs of the Iran war Tehran's declarations snapped another fragile thread as the war shows no end in sight. The deal was aimed at permanently ending the fighting. Now Khamenei warns of "lessons" not only from Iran but its armed proxies in the region, calling them the "Axis of Resistance." The battle over the Strait of Hormuz has intensified in a conflict increasingly focused on control of the essential waterway that previously carried a fifth of the world's crude oil. The widening strikes threatened civilians and services to them, including desalination plants for drinking water, while the global economy again was on alert. The U.S. Central Command said early Saturday that its seventh straight night of strikes hit "surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities." The U.S. has violated its commitments under the deal that was signed about a month ago and now Iran is "no longer implementing them," Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy foreign minister, told state TV. There was no new word on mediation efforts. Kuwait sees the most striking damage The most significant damage from Iranian strikes on Saturday occurred in Kuwait, where a water desalination plant and an oil facility were hit, according to the Kuwait authorities and the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation. Both declined to provide locations. The strikes injured several people at the oil facility and caused a fire at the desalination plant, forcing several power generation units offline. It was the second attack against a desalination plant in two days in the tiny desert nation that depends on desalination for 90% of its drinking water. READ MORE: As U.S. strikes bridges in Iran, it targets a water desalination plant in Kuwait Sever