Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, made his first public statement Thursday after the recent war between Iran and Israel came to an end. In a ten-minute video, he took aim at President Donald Trump, dismissed the impact of U.S. airstrikes, and warned that America would pay a price for any future attacks.
Khamenei appeared tired and weak, speaking in a hoarse voice and stumbling over his words. Still, his message was strong and direct.
“They could not achieve anything significant,” he said, referring to the recent U.S. airstrikes.
Trump had said the attack “completely and fully obliterated Iran’s nuclear program,” but Khamenei called that an exaggeration.
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The U.S. and Israel launched major strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities after Iran fired over 550 missiles during the 12-day conflict. One of Iran’s responses included a missile strike on a U.S. base in Qatar. Khamenei praised that move.
“The Islamic Republic was victorious and, in retaliation, delivered a hand slap to America’s face,” he said. “This action can be repeated in the future.”
He also claimed that the United States joined the war only to protect Israel.
“It entered the war to save them, yet it gained nothing,” Khamenei said. “Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price.”
Meanwhile, other officials gave a clearer picture of the damage. Rafael Grossi, head of the U.N. nuclear agency, confirmed the attacks caused serious harm to Iran’s facilities. “I think annihilated is too much, but it suffered enormous damage,” he told French media.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry also admitted that key sites were hit.
“Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that’s for sure,” said spokesman Esmail Baghaei.
Khamenei had not been seen since June 13, when the war began. He went into hiding as Israel launched strikes on top military officials and nuclear scientists. This was his first appearance since then.
The ceasefire, reached with help from U.S. officials, began on Tuesday. Since then, life in Iran has slowly returned to normal. On Thursday, Iran reopened airspace in the eastern part of the country for both domestic and international flights. Shops in Tehran also reopened, and traffic returned to the streets.
Officials said over 600 people died in Iran during the fighting. A separate rights group said more than 1,000 Iranians were killed. In Israel, 28 deaths were reported, with over 1,000 wounded.
Despite Trump’s claim that U.S. and Iranian officials will talk next week, Iran has not confirmed any upcoming meetings. A planned round of talks in Oman was canceled earlier this month following the outbreak of the war.
Iran’s parliament is now pushing a law that could end cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog. That would make future inspections significantly more challenging.
Featured image via Screengrab
