Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has sharply rebuked US President Donald Trump for his recent comments boasting about bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities, saying the American president has no authority to dictate what other countries can or cannot do.
“Fine, keep dreaming,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in reference to the US president’s boastful claim that he had destroyed Iran’s nuclear industry. “But who do you think you are to make any prescriptions about whether a country can or cannot have a nuclear industry?”
The Leader made the remarks during a Monday meeting with hundreds of Iranian athletes and medalists from various sports and international scientific Olympiads, whom he described as “symbols of national power and growth.”
He said the young achievers had shown that Iran’s hopeful youth “have the strength to stand on the peaks and draw the world’s attention to the bright horizon of Iran.”
Ayatollah Khamenei also condemned the bullying and baseless rhetoric of the US president, saying his recent behavior aimed to “raise the spirit of the Zionists and make himself look powerful through lies about Iran, the region, and its people.”
He hastened to add, “If he is truly powerful, let him calm the millions of people in all US states who are chanting against him.”
Expressing joy at meeting the country’s accomplished youth, the Leader said their victories carry extra value today because they come at a time when “the enemy, through psychological warfare, seeks to make the nation hopeless and forgetful of its own abilities.”
He dismissed claims about despair among Iranian youth as unfounded, stressing that “our dear Iran and its youth are symbols of hope” and that with determination and effort, young Iranians “can and will reach the highest peaks.”
The Leader said that during the 1980s’ Iraqi-imposed war, Iran achieved victory against a highly-equipped enemy, which was supported by all sides, through military ingenuity displayed by the nation’s youth.
He also noted that in June’s illegal aggression against the Islamic Republic, Iran delivered an “unbelievable” slap in the face of the Zionists and drove them to despair.
“The Zionists did not expect that Iranian missiles, with their flames and fire, could penetrate deep into their sensitive and vital centers, destroy them, and turn them into ashes,” Ayatollah Khamenei added.
He further emphasized that Iran did not buy or rent its missiles from anywhere, but manufactured them by its youth.
“These missiles were prepared and used by our armed forces and military industries, and they still have them. If necessary, they will use them again at another time,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Leader referred to Trump’s acknowledgment of the United States’ role in Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip, saying Washington is the main partner in the Zionist regime’s crimes, as the weapons dropped on the defenseless people of Gaza during the war were supplied by America.
Additionally, Ayatollah Khamenei rejected as a lie Trump’s claim about the US’s fight against terrorism.
“More than 20,000 children and infants were martyred in the Gaza war. Were they terrorists? The real terrorist is the US, which created Daesh, unleashed it on the region, and even today holds some of its members in a certain area for its own use.”
He also denounced the killing of around 70,000 Palestinians in the Gaza genocide and over 1,000 Iranians during the 12-day Israeli-US aggression as clear evidence of the terrorist nature of the United States and the occupying regime.
Trump described himself as a dealmaker, but if dealmaking is accompanied by coercion, it is called imposition and bullying, something that the Iranian nation will not submit to, Ayatollah Khamenei stated.
He further stressed that West Asia belongs to its own people and that war and death in the region are the result of the US presence.
“The US is a warmonger that fuels terrorism and ignites wars. Otherwise, what is the purpose of all these US military bases in the region? What are you doing here? What connection does this region have to you?”