Iran’s supreme leader speaks out with scathing message to US in first speech since ceasefire

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has broken his silence following Iran’s brief ceasefire with Israel and the recent U.S.-led airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites—proclaiming a so-called “victory” and lashing out at Washington in a defiant series of statements.

After reportedly retreating to a secure bunker amid rising tensions with the U.S. and Israel, Iran’s supreme leader reemerged with a message posted to social media on Wednesday (June 26), declaring that the United States had failed in its military operation.

“My congratulations on our dear Iran’s victory over the U.S. regime,” Khamenei wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “The U.S. regime entered the war directly because it felt that if it didn’t, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed. It entered the war in an effort to save that regime but achieved nothing.”

In a follow-up post, Khamenei added:

“The Islamic Republic delivered a heavy slap to the U.S.’s face. It attacked and inflicted damage on the Al-Udeid Air Base, which is one of the key U.S. bases in the region.”

The Iranian airstrike on the Qatar-based Al-Udeid airbase took place on Monday (June 23), in direct retaliation for the U.S. assault dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer.” While Iran claims damage was inflicted, no casualties have been reported thus far.

In a televised statement shortly after his social media post, Khamenei dismissed President Trump’s boasting over the operation, calling his comments “unusually exaggerated.” According to the BBC, Khamenei said the American strikes “failed to achieve anything significant.”

That assessment echoes reports suggesting the U.S. strike may not have been as effective as claimed. A preliminary analysis obtained by CNN from the Defense Intelligence Agency reportedly indicated that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles remained largely intact.

President Trump responded with characteristic fury, blasting the reports as disinformation.

“FAKE NEWS CNN, TOGETHER WITH THE FAILING NEW YORK TIMES, HAVE TEAMED UP IN AN ATTEMPT TO DEMEAN ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MILITARY STRIKES IN HISTORY,” Trump fumed on Truth Social.

“THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED! BOTH THE TIMES AND CNN ARE GETTING SLAMMED BY THE PUBLIC!”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt backed Trump’s position, calling the leak of the DIA report “flat-out wrong.”

“This is a coordinated effort to undermine President Trump and discredit the incredible work of our fighter pilots,” she said in a press briefing. “Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on target: total obliteration.”

Despite Trump’s assurances, the international community remains cautious. While Washington insists the mission achieved its goal of crippling Iran’s nuclear capabilities, Tehran’s continued threats and retaliatory actions suggest the region may be far from stable.

For now, Khamenei’s claims of “victory” appear aimed more at rallying domestic support than reflecting any strategic upper hand. But in a conflict where perception is power, both sides are fighting just as fiercely with words as with weapons.