The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has issued unsettling messages as U.S. President Donald Trump deliberates over actions regarding the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.

In an X post on Tuesday night, Khamenei shared a disturbing image showing balls of fire raining down on an ancient city.

In Farsi, Khamenei declared, ‘In the name of the noble Haidar, the battle begins,’ making a reference to Ali, whom Shia Muslims recognize as the first Imam and the legitimate heir of the Prophet Mohammed.

Khamenei also shared a separate message in English, saying: ‘We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime.

‘We will show the Zionists no mercy,’ he declared.

Meanwhile, Iranian state television ominously reported that ‘tonight, a great surprise will occur – one that the world will remember for centuries.’

Amid the threats, Trump is said to be considering a US strike on Tehran following Situation Room crisis talks with security advisers.

Inside sources say the US President is weighing up whether to join Israel in striking Iranian nuclear sites, including in Fordow, CBS reports.

Trump has already urged Iran’s ‘UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER’ and even issued a death threat to Khamenei.

He said the US knows where the Supreme Leader is hiding out, but doesn’t want him killed ‘for now.’ 

‘We know exactly where the so-called “Supreme Leader” is hiding,’ the U.S. President wrote on Truth Social.

‘He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.

‘But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin,’ he warned.

Additionally, President Trump engaged in a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday. The details of their discussion remain undisclosed, as drone strikes between Israel and Iran entered their fifth day.

Both Israel and Iran launched fresh strikes at each other overnight, as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it launched a ‘more powerful’ new wave of missiles at Israel.

Yet Gen. Abdul Rahim Mousavi, the commander in chief of Iran’s army, claimed that all of the attacks ‘carried out so far have been solely for the purpose of warning and deterrence.

‘The punishment operation will be carried out soon,’ he warned. 

Residents in Tel Aviv have already been seen running for shelter as missiles rained down on the city and the Iron Dome sprang into action.

At the same time, Israel’s military said it killed Iran’s wartime chief of staff and carried out extensive strikes on Iranian military targets.

The International Atomic Energy Agency even reported that there appears to have been a ‘direct impact’ on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility. 

Iran has claimed its nuclear program is peaceful, and the US and others have assessed that Tehran has not had an organized effort to pursue a nuclear weapon since 2003.

But the IAEA has repeatedly warned that the country already has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs.