A day after Donald Trump scoffed at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s heated warning to the US to not launch future strikes, Iran’s Foreign Minister said that the American President “should put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards the Supreme Leader if he was genuine about wanting a deal”.
Reacting to Trump’s comments, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media platform X: “If President Trump is genuine about wanting a deal, he should put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran’s Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, and stop hurting his millions of heartfelt followers.”
He added: “The complexity and tenacity of Iranians is famously known in our magnificent carpets, woven through countless hours of hard work and patience. But as a people, our basic premise is very simple and straightforward: we know our worth, value our independence, and never allow anyone else to decide our destiny.”
Speaking about the recent Iran-Israel military confrontation, Araghchi wrote, “The Great and Powerful Iranian People, who showed the world that the Israeli regime had NO CHOICE but to RUN to “Daddy” to avoid being flattened by our Missiles, do not take kindly to Threats and Insults.”
The Foreign Minister also issued a warning, saying: “If Illusions lead to worse mistakes, Iran will not hesitate to unveil its Real Capabilities, which will certainly END any Delusion about the Power of Iran.”
On Friday, Trump, in remarks to reporters and later in an extended statement on social media, said the Ayatollah’s comments defied reality after 12 days of Israeli strikes and the US bombardment of three key nuclear sites inflicted severe damage on the country’s nuclear program. The president suggested Khamenei’s comments were unbecoming of Iran’s most powerful political and religious figure.
“Look, you’re a man of great faith. A man who’s highly respected in his country. You have to tell the truth,” Trump said. “You got beat to hell.”
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The US President spoke a day after Khamenei insisted Tehran had delivered a “slap to America’s face” by striking a US air base in Qatar and warned against further attacks. Khamenei’s pre-recorded statement, which aired on Iranian state television, was the first time that Iranians had heard directly from the supreme leader in days.
Trump, however, in a social media post Friday, refuted all statements made by Khamenei. “His Country was decimated, his three evil Nuclear Sites were OBLITERATED, and I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH, and he does not have to say, “THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!”
(With inputs from AP)
