Iranian Leader Khamenei Issues First Public Remarks After US Airstrike

Iranian leader Ali Khamenei suggested that the United States did not destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Iranian leader Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, on March 21, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA/Reuters

Iranian leader Ali Khamenei provided his first public statement on June 26 after U.S. airstrikes on the country’s nuclear program, declaring that the United States “achieved nothing.”

In his remarks, issued via state-run media outlets including Tasnim News, Khamenei declared victory over Israel and the United States.

“The U.S. entered the war directly because it feared that if it didn’t, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed,” he said in his statement, referring to Israel and without providing evidence.

Khamenei also suggested that President Donald Trump’s and Israel’s assessment that the United States destroyed Iran’s nuclear facilities was false. He did not provide evidence to back up that claim.

“Anyone who heard his remarks could sense that behind those words lay a very different truth,” he said. “They failed to achieve their objectives, and they inflated their claims to conceal the reality.”

The United States “entered the war in an effort to save that [Zionist] regime but achieved nothing,” Khamenei wrote in a post on social media platform X.

Earlier this month, Israel launched a surprise aerial attack on Iran that killed most of the country’s top military commanders. Iran responded by launching missiles at Israel that hit some civilian areas and depopulated regions. Israel has not confirmed whether Iran caused any damage to its air defense systems or military assets.

On June 21, the United States launched a stealth bombing mission that Trump said totally destroyed Iran’s key nuclear facilities. A statement from Israel’s nuclear agency, read aloud by Trump on June 25, also indicated that significant damage was done that set the Iranian regime back several years.

Meanwhile, top U.S. intelligence officials, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, said the U.S. strikes destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Both Israel and U.S. officials have long said that Iran’s nuclear program is for military purposes and that the regime is seeking a nuclear weapon, while Iran has said it’s for peaceful purposes.

“New intelligence confirms what @POTUS has stated numerous times: Iran’s nuclear facilities have been destroyed. If the Iranians chose to rebuild, they would have to rebuild all three facilities (Natanz, Fordow, Esfahan) entirely, which would likely take years to do,” Gabbard said in a June 25 post on X.

Gabbard, Ratcliffe, Trump, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have refuted media reports citing anonymous sources this week that claimed a leaked military document showed that the United States may not have done significant damage to Iran’s Fordow military site, which is partially buried under a mountain.

After the U.S. airstrike, Iran launched a barrage of missiles at a Qatari military base that houses U.S. troops. Officials in Qatar, as well as the U.S. Central Command, indicated that all the Iranian missiles were intercepted and that no injuries or deaths were reported.

In a statement, Central Command wrote that both the United States and Qatar “successfully defended against an Iranian ballistic missile attack targeting Qatar’s Al-Udeid Air Base,” which is located near the country’s capital of Doha.

Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that Iran’s attack on the base was a “very weak response” and suggested that the United States had expected the attack. Of 14 missiles fired by the Iranian military, 13 were intercepted and one was “set free,” he wrote, adding that no Americans were hurt and that “hardly any damage” was reported.

“Most importantly, they’ve gotten it all out of their ’system,' and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE,” Trump wrote. “I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured. Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same.”

On June 23, Trump announced on social media that Israel and Iran would have a cease-fire after 12 days of fighting. He also said the United States is scheduled to hold talks with Iran the following week.