Khamenei rebukes Trump over claims of US wiping out Iran nuclear sites

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday (local time) said that Tehran rejected an offer of renewed talks made by US President Donald Trump and denied his assertions of Washington destroying Tehran's nuclear capabilities.

 

In a post on X, Khamenei wrote, "The US President says that he makes deals and wants to make a deal with Iran. “Dealing” where the outcome is predetermined using coercion isn’t a way of dealing. It’s a way of imposing something, and the Iranian nation will never submit to such impositions."

 

Earlier this year, Tehran and Washington engaged in five rounds of indirect nuclear negotiations that ended the 12-day war in June, in which Israel and the US bombed nuclear sites in Iran.

 

 

Last week, Trump informed the Israeli parliament that it would be great if the US could negotiate a "peace deal" with Iran, after a ceasefire was announced between Israel and Hamas.

 

Khamenei slams Trump

 

In a series of statements posted on X, Khamenei slammed the US and Trump. "The US president proudly says they bombed and destroyed Iran's nuclear industry. Very well, keep dreaming!"

 

He further went on to question what the US has to do if Iran has nuclear facilities or not, claiming that these interventions are "inappropriate, wrong, and coercive".

 

The Iranian Supreme Leader claimed that they are in a "soft war", accusing Trump of trying to break the morale of Iranians with his assertions. "In a soft war, the enemy tries to make the people depressed and to lose all hope of their own abilities. You, the medalists in both sporting and scientific fields, have been able to move in exactly the opposite direction of the enemy's efforts," he said.

 

Khamenei accused the US of being a "terror state", adding that they created Daesh, a term used for the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) and unleashed them on West Asia. He also accused Washington of being an "accomplice" in the war crimes that are taking place in Gaza. "The US President says that they’re fighting terrorism. But more than 20,000 children and infants have been martyred in these attacks. Were these children terrorists?" he added.

 

Israel-Iran war

 

In June, Israel struck Tehran's nuclear facilities and escalated the tensions in West Asia. After 12 days of engaging in heavy firing and the US striking nuclear facilities in Iran, the two countries reached an understanding and paused the fighting.

 

Commenting on the 12 day war, Khamenei said that the Israeli military was struck "such a hard blow" that "they couldn't believe it".

 

Lauding the Iranian youth and their missiles, Khamenei further said that the Israeli forces did not expect that a missile built by Iranian youth could reduce the "depths of some of their sensitive research centers to ashes".

 

Khamenei questions US' military bases

 

Accusing the US of being a "warmonger", Khamenei stated that the US is behind the wars, adding that it is Washington that starts and creates this war. He also questioned the military bases of the US in various countries of West Asia.