Trump said he personally stopped a final, massive Israeli airstrike on Tehran and refused to target Khamenei, despite knowing his exact location.
“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,” Trump posted on social media.
Khamenei, in a televised speech Thursday—his first since the ceasefire took effect on Tuesday—declared Iran had dealt a blow to both Israel and the United States.
‘Tell the truth’
Trump responded Friday in a press briefing and again on Truth Social, mocking Khamenei’s remarks and appearance.
“I’m going to respond to the Ayatollah’s statement yesterday that they won the war,” he told reporters. “Oh, God… You have to tell the truth. You got beat to hell.”
In a follow-up post, Trump questioned Khamenei’s credibility and doubled down on the damage inflicted.
“Why would the so-called ‘Supreme Leader,’ Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of the war-torn country of Iran, say so blatantly and foolishly that he won the war with Israel, when he knows his statement is a lie?” Trump wrote.
“His country was decimated. His three evil Nuclear Sites were OBLITERATED.”
Sanctions relief scrapped
Trump said he had been considering easing US sanctions on Iran, but abandoned the effort in response to Khamenei’s remarks.
“I was working on the possible removal of sanctions, and other things, which would have given a much better chance to Iran at a full, fast, and complete recovery,” he wrote. “Instead, I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust—and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief.”
It remains unclear whether any formal sanction relief efforts had begun within the White House or relevant agencies.
Future with ‘honey, not vinegar’
Trump has said many times that he only opposes Iran developing nuclear weapons and otherwise wants the country to "do well."
“Iran has to get back into the World Order flow, or things will only get worse for them,” he warned in his Friday post.
“They are always so angry, hostile, and unhappy—and look at what it has gotten them: a burned-out, blown-up country, with no future, a decimated military, a horrible economy, and DEATH all around them.”
And he closed with a familiar flourish:
“I wish the leadership of Iran would realize that you often get more with HONEY than you do with VINEGAR. PEACE!!!”
