The US has built up its naval presence in the Middle East after President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened Iran with intervention if it did not agree to a nuclear deal or failed to stop killing protesters.
“(Trump) regularly says that he brought ships (…) The Iranian nation shall not be scared by these things, the Iranian people will not be stirred by these threats,” Khamenei said.
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“We are not the initiators and do not want to attack any country, but the Iranian nation will strike a strong blow against anyone who attacks and harasses them”.
A diplomatic solution remains on the cards, with Tehran saying it is ready for “fair” negotiations that do not seek to curtail its defensive capabilities. The US Navy currently has six destroyers, one aircraft carrier, and three littoral combat ships in the region.
The protests, which started in late December over economic hardships but morphed into the most acute political challenge to the Islamic Republic since its establishment in 1979, have now abated after repression.
Official numbers put the unrest-related death toll at 3,117, while the US-based HRANA rights group said on Sunday it had so far verified the death of 6,713 people. Reuters was unable to independently verify the numbers.
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Khamenei likened the protests to a “coup”, saying that the goal of the “sedition” was to attack the centres that govern the country, state media reported.
Meanwhile, Iran’s top security official said on Saturday that progress had been made towards negotiations with the US, even as the Islamic Republic’s army chief warned Washington against launching military strikes.
Washington has deployed a naval battle group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier off Iran’s shores, after Trump threatened to intervene in the wake of a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.
The arrival of the flotilla has raised fears of a confrontation with Iran, which has warned it would respond with missile strikes on US bases, ships and allies — notably Israel — in the event of an attack.
But Trump has said he believes Iran will prefer to seal a deal over its nuclear and missile programmes rather than face American military action — and Tehran has said it is ready for nuclear talks if its missiles and defence capabilities are not on the agenda.