Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Thursday made his first public statement after the end of the Israel-Iran war and said Iran achieved victory over Israel. Notably, Khamenei took shelter in a secret location during the 12-day war as Israeli forces pounded Tehran before the US intervened on its behalf.
Khamenei says US regime achieved nothing
“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. It entered the war in an effort to save that regime but achieved nothing,” Khamenei said in a series of posts on X.
Khamenei said the Islamic Republic delivered a heavy slap to the US’s face and it inflicted damage on the Al-Udeid Air Base, which is one of the key US bases in the region.
Khamenei threatens to take action if US attacks
“The fact that the Islamic Republic has access to key US centres in the region and can take action whenever it deems necessary is a significant matter. Such an action can be repeated in the future too. Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price,” Khamenei said on X.
He added that with all that commotion and all those claims, the Zionist regime was practically knocked out and crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic.
US and Iranian officials will talk next week, says Trump
Earlier, US President Donald Trump asserted that US and Iranian officials will talk next week, giving rise to cautious hope for longer-term peace even as Tehran insisted it will not give up its nuclear programme.
Trump, who helped negotiate the ceasefire that took place on Tuesday on the 12th day of the war, told reporters at a NATO summit that he wasn't particularly interested in restarting negotiations with Iran, insisting that US strikes had destroyed its nuclear programme.
Earlier, an Iranian official questioned whether the United States could be trusted after its weekend attack. “We may sign an agreement, I don't know,” Trump said, added, “The way I look at it, they fought, the war is done."
Iran has not acknowledged any talks taking place next week, though US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff has said there has been direct and indirect communication between the countries. A sixth round of negotiations between the US and Iran had been scheduled for earlier this month in Oman but was cancelled when Israel attacked Iran.
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