Supreme Leader Remarks Get Wide Coverage

Islamabad, Feb 4, IRNA - The remarks of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei that Iran would retaliate over western-backed oil sanctions and any threat of attack got wide coverage in all major Pakistani newspapers on Saturday. Leading newspaper ‘Dawn’ quoted Ayatollah Khamenei as saying, ‘Iran will respond with threats of its own to intensify warnings of military attacks and western sanctions.’ The newspaper said the Supreme Leader's comments came amid heightened speculation that Israel was contemplating air strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, with or without US help. Another major newspaper ‘The News’ reported Ayatollah Khamenei has said Iran will respond with threats of its own to intensifying warnings of military attacks and western sanctions. Daily ‘The Nation’ reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader has warned of retaliation over oil sanctions. The daily said that the remarks came after US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta was cited as saying he feared a possible Israeli strike as early as April. ‘Daily Times’ quoted the Supreme Leader as saying, “Iran would retaliate over Western-backed oil sanctions and any threat of attack.” Meanwhile, ‘Pakistan Today’ reported that Iran will respond with threats of its own to intensifying warnings of military attacks and western sanctions. Daily Business Recorder in its report said that Iran will respond to any oil, military threats. Local newspapers ‘Jang’ and ‘Nawe-i-Waqt’ reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader has said that Iran would retaliate over Western-backed oil sanctions and any threat of attack. Daily ‘Express’ reported that Iran’ would retaliate over oil sanctions and any threat of attack. Daily ‘Jinnah’ quoted Ayatollah Khamenei as saying, “the United States and others have to know — and they know — that, in response to threats of oil embargo and war, we have our own threats which will be implemented at the right time, if necessary.”/end