US President Donald Trump declared on Friday that he had personally prevented the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and sharply criticized him for ingratitude.
In an extraordinary post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he would authorize additional bombings if Iran continued pursuing nuclear weapons. He also condemned Tehran’s claims of victory in its recent conflict with Israel and announced a halt to ongoing work on possible sanctions relief.
Trump asserted that the US would strike Iran again “without question” if the country remained capable of enriching weapons-grade uranium despite previous US attacks.
He accused Khamenei of ingratitude after the Iranian leader dismissed reports of damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities as exaggerated and claimed Iran had defeated Israel while delivering a “slap” to Washington.
Trump posted: “I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life. I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH, and he does not have to say, ‘THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!’”
The former president revealed that he had been working on potential sanctions relief for Iran, a key demand from Tehran, but said Khamenei’s hostile statements caused him to immediately halt all progress.
“No, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more,” Trump wrote, urging Iran to return to negotiations.
Iran’s foreign minister denied on Wednesday that nuclear talks with the US were imminent, contradicting Trump’s earlier claim at a NATO summit in The Hague that negotiations would resume soon.
‘Beat to hell’
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, expressed hope for a “comprehensive peace agreement.” During a White House press conference, Trump confirmed he would consider additional airstrikes if recent strikes failed to halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions, saying, “Sure. Without question. Absolutely.”
Trump added that Khamenei and Iran “got beat to hell” in the recent US-Israel hostilities, calling it “a great time to end it.”
He indicated that he would soon issue a statement on Khamenei’s comments, which materialized as the Truth Social post.
In the post, Trump accused Khamenei of “blatantly and foolishly” claiming victory in the 12-day war with Israel and said, “As a man of great faith, he is not supposed to lie.”
The heated exchange comes amid a fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Iran conflict, with speculation surrounding Khamenei’s status.
In his first public address since the ceasefire, Khamenei hailed Iran’s “victory” over Israel, vowed never to yield to US pressure, and declared Washington had suffered a humiliating “slap.”
“The American president exaggerated events in unusual ways, and it turned out that he needed this exaggeration,” Khamenei said, rejecting Trump’s claim that Iran’s nuclear program was set back by decades.
AFP
