Driving the news:
Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks during a meeting with Iranian sports champions and winners of international scientific Olympiads in Tehran, where he also praised the country’s youth and scientific progress.
What he is saying:
"This person [the U.S. president] tried, through falsehoods about the region, Iran, and the Iranian nation, to cheer up the Zionists and portray himself as powerful. If he truly has power, let him calm the millions of people chanting against him across the United States," the Leader said.
Ayatollah Khamenei described the U.S. President’s trip to occupied Palestine and his “nonsensical, clownish remarks” as an attempt to lift the morale of “desperate Zionists,” disheartened after “the unbelievable slap” Iran dealt to the regime during the 12-day war.
“The Zionists never expected Iranian missiles — built by the hands and intellect of our youth — to reach deep into their sensitive centers, and turn them into ashes,” he said.
The Leader stated that Iran’s missiles are entirely domestically produced and operated by Iranian forces, emphasizing that they remain ready for use if necessary.
He criticised the United States of being the “main partner” in Israel’s crimes in Gaza, noting that Washington supplied the weapons used to kill civilians.
Iranian Leader dismissed U.S. claims of fighting terrorism, pointing to more than 20,000 Palestinian children martyred in Gaza. “Are they terrorists? The real terrorist is America, which created Daesh (ISIS) and unleashed it on the region.”
He said more than 70,000 people had been killed in Gaza and over a thousand Iranians martyred during the 12-day war, adding that Washington and Tel Aviv even “assassinated our scientists, like Tehranchi and Abbasi, and took pride in it.”
Between the lines:
Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks underscored Iran’s defiance of Western pressure and its commitment to self-reliance in defense and science — portraying U.S. hostility as a reflection of Iran’s growing influence and capability.
Zoom in:
Responding to the U.S. President’s claim that Washington had “destroyed” Iran’s nuclear industry, the Leader said: “Be in that illusion if you wish. But who are you to dictate whether a country can have nuclear capabilities? These interventions are illegitimate, wrong, and bullying.”
He also pointed to nationwide protests against the U.S. President, saying: "If you’re so capable, instead of spreading lies and meddling in others’ affairs, calm the millions protesting in your own cities."
State of play:
The Leader reaffirmed that Iran will never submit to coercion under the guise of negotiation. "If a so-called deal is based on bullying and predetermined outcomes, it is not a deal — it is an imposition. The Iranian nation will never accept imposition."
Go deeper:
Iran Will Not Bow to U.S. Pressure, Ayatollah Khamenei Says on Nuclear Program
Zohre Khazaee - Hossein Amiri
