Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has declared what he called a “victory” over Israel and the United States, marking his first public reaction since the US-brokered ceasefire paused weeks of escalating conflict in the region.
In a series of provocative posts on X, Khamenei praised Iran’s military strikes as a humiliating blow to both its arch-foes, while warning that similar attacks could be launched again if necessary.
“With all that commotion and all those claims, the Zionist regime was practically knocked out and crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic,” Khamenei posted, refraining from directly naming Israel and instead calling it a “fallacious Zionist regime.”
The rhetoric escalated quickly in a follow-up post targeting Washington: “My congratulations on our dear Iran’s victory over the US regime… It entered the war to save that regime but achieved nothing.”
Khamenei claimed Iran’s retaliatory strikes on US forces stationed in the Gulf, particularly the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, caused significant damage to American military infrastructure.
“The Islamic Republic delivered a heavy slap to the US’s face,” he said, asserting that Iran had demonstrated its capability to target “key US centers in the region” and could strike again at any time.
“Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price,” he warned.
The Iranian leader also mocked former US President Donald Trump’s past assertion that “Iran must surrender,” calling the statement “too big to come out of the US president’s mouth.”
Khamenei’s remarks come ahead of a widely anticipated video address, which will be his first formal public appearance since Iran and Israel exchanged a series of deadly airstrikes earlier this month.
The conflict, which intensified following suspected Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, prompted direct US intervention and raised fears of a broader regional war.
The ceasefire, mediated by Washington, was announced earlier this week, temporarily halting hostilities.
However, Khamenei’s defiant tone signals Tehran’s intent to maintain a confrontational posture, particularly against US military presence in the region.
