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Iran’s top leader has made his first appearance since the ceasefire with Israel, vowing that his country will never surrender to the United States.
Some shit you should know before you read: The day Israel launched strikes on Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei disappeared from public view, reportedly taking shelter in a fortified underground bunker in an undisclosed location (some say it was in Eastern Iran). President Donald Trump later claimed American forces had “full knowledge” of Khamenei’s whereabouts throughout the war, suggesting the US could have struck the site but chose not to escalate further. During his absence, Khamenei communicated only through messages aired on Iranian state television.
What’s going on now: In his first remarks since the end of the 12-day war with Israel, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed victory over both Israel and the United States, dismissing claims that Iran’s nuclear infrastructure had been destroyed and vowing continued resistance. Speaking from an undisclosed location in a pre-recorded broadcast aired on state television, Khamenei said that American intervention failed to achieve its goals. He claimed that “the US regime entered the war directly because it felt that if it didn’t, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed.”
Khamenei rejected President Trump’s claims that American strikes had “obliterated Iran’s nuclear program,” calling them exaggerated. “The American president exaggerated events in unusual ways, and it turned out that he needed this exaggeration,” he said. He went on to mock Trump’s demand for Iran’s unconditional surrender, calling it “too big to come out of the US president’s mouth.”
In contrast to US statements that portrayed the strikes as a historic success, Khamenei said, “They achieved nothing,” and added that the US had gained no real leverage from its military action. He cited Iran’s retaliatory missile strike on the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar as a “heavy slap to the US’s face,” even though the attack caused no casualties.
The Supreme Leader also warned that, “If Israel attacks us again, they will see further destruction.”
This comes as Iran’s Health Ministry reported that at least 627 civilians were killed in Israeli strikes, while Iran’s attacks on Israel killed 28 people.
