Why it matters:
Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks reinforce Iran’s rejection of U.S. influence in the region, specifically criticizing Trump’s alliance-building efforts with Arab states and the use of American power to support the Israeli regime’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The big picture:
Trump, during his regional visit, had reportedly urged Arab allies to align more closely with U.S. security guarantees—an approach the Leader described as doomed to fail.
The comments of the leader of the revolution come amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and growing regional backlash against U.S. and Israeli genocide.
What he's saying:
Ayatollah Khamenei said: “Some of the things the American president said during this trip to the region are so low-level, they’re not even worth responding to. They are a disgrace to the speaker and a disgrace to the American people.”
“Trump said he wants to use power for peace — that’s a lie. All the U.S. governments have used their power for the massacre of people in Gaza, for fueling wars wherever they could, and to support their mercenaries. When have they ever used power for peace?”
“Indeed, power can be utilized to promote peace and security. That’s why, despite our adversaries, we will—God willing—strengthen our national power every day. However, they [the U.S.] provided ten-ton bombs to the Zionist regime, which are being used to target children, hospitals, and civilians in Gaza, Lebanon, and elsewhere.”
Addressing the Arab countries, he added: ‘Without the United States, you won’t last ten days. It’s America that keeps you going.’
"Now Trump’s offering the arabs the same model again — one where they can’t survive without U.S. backing. It has already failed. With the resolve of the region’s nations, the United States must leave this region — and it will."
“The source of war, corruption, and conflict in the region is the Zionist regime — this dangerous, deadly, cancerous tumor. It must be uprooted — and it will be.”
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