Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday, June 26, said US President Donald Trump "exaggerated" the impact of US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, in his first appearance since a ceasefire in the war with Israel took hold. In a statement and a televised speech carried by state media, he hailed his country's "victory" over Israel and vowed never to surrender to the United States, while claiming that Washington had been dealt a "slap" after striking Iranian nuclear sites. Khamenei's remarks come two days after a ceasefire ended a 12-day war between Iran and Israel, the foes' deadliest and most destructive confrontation in history.
"The American president exaggerated events in unusual ways, and it turned out that he needed this exaggeration," Khamenei said. The United States "has gained nothing from this war," he said, adding that American strikes "did nothing significant" to Iran's nuclear facilities.
"The Islamic republic won, and in retaliation dealt a severe slap to the face of America," he said, a reference to Iran's missile launch targeting the largest US base in the Middle East. Trump "tried (...) to pretend that nothing had happened, when a major event had occurred," Khamenei said, adding that the attack "caused damage," while Trump has shrugged it off as "very weak." No casualties were reported at the base.
"I want to congratulate the great Iranian nation... for its victory over the fallacious Zionist regime," he added, claiming that Israel had "almost collapsed" because of Iran's strikes.
Both Iran and Israel have already claimed they won, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailing a "historic victory" for Israel on Tuesday.