Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered his first address since Iran’s ceasefire with Israel and took a defiant tone, saying his country would “never” surrender to the US.
Khamenei claimed victory over the US and Israel after the 12 days of battle. “I offer my congratulations on the victory over the fallacious Zionist regime. With all that commotion and all those claims, the Zionist regime was practically knocked out and crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic,” he said.
“My second congratulations is related to our dear Iran’s victory over the US regime. The US regime entered the war directly because it felt that if it didn’t, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed,” the Iranian leader added.
Khamenei downplayed the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, saying they didn’t do anything “significant,” although the extent of the damage remains unclear. President Trump has claimed he “obliterated” the facilities, which Khamenei called a “bizarre exaggeration.”
During the war, Trump demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” which Khamenei said revealed the US’s real goal and that the nuclear program and other issues served as pretexts. “They bring up all kinds of pretexts. But at the core, it all boils down to one thing, which is that they want Iran to surrender,” he said.
Khamenei also referred to Iran’s attack on the US’s Al Udeid base in Qatar, saying it was a “major event” and that the US was downplaying it. Iran had notified the US ahead of the missile strikes to avoid casualties, and Trump had thanked Tehran for the coordination.
The Iranian leader warned that Iran could attack again in the face of future US aggression. “It’s quite significant. Such an action can be repeated in the future too. Should any aggression occur, the enemy – the aggressor – will definitely pay a heavy price,” he said.
