Sri Lanka, Feb. 1 -- Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has warned the United States that any attack on his country would result in a "regional war" as US President Donald Trump amasses military assets in the Middle East.

"They should know that if they start a war this time, it will be a regional war," the supreme leader was quoted as saying by Iranian state news agencies on Sunday.

The 86-year-old leader was speaking on the anniversary of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's return from exile to Iran in 1979, a pivotal moment that led to the Iranian Revolution and put an end to Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi's monarchy.

Khamenei's comments came as the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, jet fighters and navy destroyers neared the region after...