Trump Warns Iran’s Leader to Be ‘Careful With His Words’

Says Khamenei is 'leading Iran toward ruin'

Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave a rare Friday sermon in Tehran, chiding President Trump for being a “clown” and suggesting he was just pretending to be a supporter of Iranian protesters. Trump has responded by warning he has to be “very careful with his words.

Trump railed against Khamenei on Twitter, accusing him of “leading Iran toward ruin,” and saying that Iran deserves a government that will “Make Iran Great Again!”

Trump having a furious reaction on Twitter to a perceived public slight is par for the course, as he often launches into protracted tirades, again suggesting that Trump is liable to do anything on the slightest pretext.

Beyond that level of grand-standing, Trump is also undercutting his administration’s repeated insistence that they are not seeking to impose regime change on Iran by talking up the idea of a different government.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.