BREAKING NEWS Iran Supreme Leader Khamenei Dismisses U.S. Strikes, Declares 'Victory' in Nuclear Showdown

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Khamenei Dismisses U.S. Strikes, Declares 'Victory' in Nuclear Showdown

 

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has broken his silence following a volatile 12-day conflict with Israel and the United States, declaring that Washington’s attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities achieved “nothing significant” and claiming that Iran has emerged victorious. This contradicts with his own Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, who  said US strikes on Sunday had caused significant damage to its nuclear facilities.

 

In a video broadcast from a concealed location, Khamenei appeared for the first time since June 19, addressing the nation with defiance. “The Islamic Republic was victorious and, in retaliation, delivered a hand slap to America’s face,” he said, referencing a recent Iranian missile strike on a U.S. base in Qatar. That attack reportedly caused no casualties, but Khamenei framed it as symbolic retribution.

 

The supreme leader dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s depiction of events, accusing him of “exaggerating” the effectiveness of the strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. “Trump needed to make a show,” Khamenei said. “But America has achieved no gains from this war.”

 

Khamenei’s appearance followed a period of silence during which he reportedly remained in a bunker after Israel initiated airstrikes on June 13 targeting Iranian nuclear sites and senior military figures. On June 22, a major U.S. offensive involving bunker-buster bombs targeted the same facilities, escalating the conflict and prompting fears of broader regional war.

 

Despite U.S. claims that the strikes were a tactical success, with CIA Director John Ratcliffe stating they had left Iran’s nuclear program “severely damaged” and set it back by years, Khamenei painted a very different picture. “America has been slapped in the face,” he said, reiterating his earlier pledge that Iran “will never surrender” to its enemies.

 

Khamenei also mocked Israel’s role in the conflict, claiming that it was only when the U.S. chose to join the bombardment on June 21 that Tel Aviv was spared from being “utterly destroyed.” That suggestion, laden with taunting rhetoric, came despite the fact that numerous Iranian nuclear scientists and officials were killed during the fighting — targeted assassinations widely believed to have been carried out by Israel.

 

“The aggressor enemy failed,” said Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday, echoing Khamenei’s framing of the war. He insisted that Tehran’s nuclear program had withstood the attacks. Meanwhile, Khamenei’s first post on X since the ceasefire simply read: “Congratulations on the victory,” underscoring the state’s narrative of resistance and triumph.

 

Though the ceasefire was reportedly brokered with U.S. involvement following the June 22 strikes, Khamenei portrayed the outcome as a strategic win for Iran. “Surrender to the United States will never happen,” he declared again, setting a tone of continued defiance as tensions in the region simmer beneath the surface of the fragile truce.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Mail  2025-06-26

 

 

[Mike_Hunt]

The leftist on this site will now side with Iran.

[Yagoda]

Maybe give him another 12 hours of bombs.