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President Donald Trump on Friday lashed out at Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for claiming victory following a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
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!!!”
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he had been working on lifting sanctions on Iran to support its recovery after the 12-day war with Israel but halted those efforts following Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's statement.
“During the last few days, 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,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“The sanctions are BITING! But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more.”
President Donald Trump suggested on Friday that the United States or another respected body be permitted to inspect Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Asked if he would demand that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have full rights to inspect in Iran, Trump replied: “Yeah, or somebody that we respect, including ourselves.”
Trump also said that the United States would "absolutely" bomb Iran again if there are further concern's over the country's enrichment program.
He added that following US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, it would take Iran years to rebuild it's nuclear program.
"It would be years before they could ever get going, and I really think it's probably the last thing. They have to recover from a hell of a tough war," he said.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson urges Tehran to negotiation face to face with Washington.
"We now need Iran to engage with us in direct, good-faith talks, negotiations. Not through third parties, not through other countries," Johnson said after a classified briefing on Friday.
"They need to sit down at the table with us and ensure that this peace is truly lasting," he added. "We're on the verge of a real peace in the Middle East for the first time in a long time."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of facilitating recent US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
He said the Iranian parliament’s vote to suspend cooperation with the agency is a direct result of Rafael Grossi’s actions.
“Through this malign action, he directly facilitated the adoption of a politically-motivated resolution against Iran by the IAEA BoG as well as the unlawful Israeli and US bombings of Iranian nuclear sites, ”Araghchi wrote on X.
He added that Grossi’s planned visit to the bombed sites was “meaningless and possibly even malign in intent,” and warned that Iran “reserves the right to take any steps in defense of its interests, its people, and its sovereignty.”
