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This handout picture provided by the office of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows him, flanked by the Iranian flag and a portrait of his predecessor the late supreme leader and Iranian revolution leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, giving a televised address in Tehran on Wednesday. | AFP photo

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that the nation would never surrender as demanded by US President Donald Trump and warned the United States it would face ‘irreparable damage’ if it intervenes in support of its ally.

The speech came six days into the conflict, with Trump demanding Iran’s ‘unconditional surrender’ while boasting the United States could kill Khamenei and fuelling speculation about a possible intervention.