Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated Thursday that the United States “achieved nothing” with its recent military strikes on Iran, and warned that any further attacks would be met with consequences.
In his first public comments since the U.S. targeted three of Iran’s nuclear sites on Saturday, Khamenei declared Iran the victor and dismissed President Trump’s claim that the strikes were a major success.
“I congratulate our dear Iran on its victory over the U.S. regime,” Khamenei said in a speech lasting over ten minutes, according to a translated excerpt shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
“The U.S. regime got directly involved in the war because it feared that, without doing so, the Zionist regime would be completely wiped out,” he continued. “It intervened to protect that regime — and achieved nothing.”
President Trump previously asserted the strikes had “obliterated Iran’s nuclear program,” but Khamenei pushed back strongly.
“The American president exaggerated the events in an unusual way — apparently he needed the exaggeration,” he said, according to AFP.
“He declared, ‘Iran must surrender.’ This is a statement far too grand for any U.S. president to be making,” Khamenei added.
Meanwhile, the White House defended the operation, highlighting claims that it delivered a decisive blow. A spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry reportedly admitted, “Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that’s for sure.”
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly stated:
“Under President Trump’s leadership, Operation Midnight Hammer was executed flawlessly — dismantling Iran’s nuclear capabilities and forcing them to the negotiating table.”
“This historic result was only made possible through the strength of America’s armed forces and the decisive leadership of our Commander in Chief.”
