Iran leader issues warning against Israel

TEHRAN -- Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran will raze Tel Aviv and Haifa if Israel makes "any mistake," after President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met to discuss the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.

"The heads of the Zionist regime should know that in case of any mistake against Iran, Iran will level down Tel Aviv and Haifa," Khamenei said in a message aired on state television to mark the Nowrouz festival, the start of the Iranian new year.

Israel has the right to "defend itself, by itself," Netanyahu said , the latest warning that his country may launch a military strike against Iran. The United States will do whatever is necessary to prevent Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon, Obama said.

Khamenei spoke as international sanctions spearheaded by the United States are targeting Iran's trade, banking and energy industry.

The Iranian leader mixed hostile rhetoric with more conciliatory language, saying that while he did not oppose direct talks with the United States, he wasn't optimistic about the possible outcome. The country's enemies sought to paralyze it through sanctions, though the policy would fail if Iran managed to cut its dependence on oil, Khamenei said.

Iran sees for the first time a possible breakthrough in negotiations with six world powers next month over its nuclear program, its UN ambassador, Mohammad Khazaee, said Monday. -- Bloomberg News