Iranian lawmakers on Monday likened US President Donald Trump to the biblical Pharaoh and praised Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as Moses, in rhetoric aired during a parliamentary session amid heightened tensions with Washington.
In a statement read aloud in Iran’s parliament, lawmakers said Khamenei would “make Trump and his allies taste humiliation.”
Addressing Trump directly, the statement said Iran’s leader would “drown you in the sea of the anger of believers and the oppressed of the world, to serve as a lesson for the world of arrogance.”
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf later described Trump as “disrespectful” following a closed-door session of lawmakers, saying Khamenei had set the country’s course without fear of the US president.
“Khamenei has spent his life confronting corrupt arrogant powers such as Trump,” Ghalibaf said.
He also described the ongoing protests in Iran as an American-Israeli plot, adding that the United States had once again failed and that Trump was “desperate” and showing contradictory behavior.
He said actions taken by the United States against Iran over the past two weeks would constitute “clear crimes” in any fair international court, comparing recent developments to the pager operation in Lebanon. In September 2024, thousands of electronic devices intended for use by Hezbollah members exploded simultaneously in two separate events across Lebanon and Syria.
Iranian officials have repeatedly accused the United States and Israel of fomenting unrest inside the country, allegations denied by Western governments.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have risen sharply in recent weeks, as Iran faces widespread protests at home and renewed international pressure over its internal security crackdown.
