Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has lashed out at US President Donald Trump for demanding Iran’s surrender, calling the remark “too big to come out of his mouth.”
“The US President stated, ‘Iran must surrender.’ Needless to say, this statement is too big to come out of the US president’s mouth,” Khamenei wrote on X.
According to The Hill, Khamenei asserted that the United States “achieved nothing” from its recent military strikes and warned Washington against launching any further attacks.
In his first public appearance since the US bombed three Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday, Khamenei claimed that Iran had achieved victory over the US. He also countered Trump’s portrayal of the strikes as a “spectacular military success.”
“My congratulations on 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,” Khamenei said in a speech over ten minutes long, as translated and posted on his official X account.
“It entered the war in an effort to save that regime but achieved nothing,” he added.
President Trump previously stated that the strikes had “obliterated Iran’s nuclear program,” a claim that the Iranian Supreme Leader firmly dismissed.
In a recent post on Truth Social, Trump reiterated his call for “Unconditional surrender” from Tehran. He also issued a stark warning during a televised address from the White House.
“There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we’ve witnessed over the last eight days.”
“This cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight’s was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill.”
The current conflict between Iran and Israel escalated on June 13, when Israel launched a large-scale airstrike against Iranian military and nuclear facilities under the operation dubbed “Rising Lion.” In retaliation, Iran launched “Operation True Promise 3,” targeting Israel’s infrastructure with missiles and drones.
Tensions remain high as both sides exchange strong rhetoric and military actions, with international observers watching developments closely.