In his first public address since Tuesday’s ceasefire between Iran and Israel, Khamenei said the US failed to disrupt Iran’s nuclear activities and claimed Iran’s retaliatory strike on a US air base in Qatar was a “heavy blow.”
By Titilope Adako
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has declared that the United States achieved “nothing significant” from its recent strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, downplaying claims by American officials that the operation severely set back Tehran’s nuclear programme.
In his first public address since Tuesday’s ceasefire between Iran and Israel, Khamenei said the US failed to disrupt Iran’s nuclear activities and claimed Iran’s retaliatory strike on a US air base in Qatar was a “heavy blow.”
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, however, said intelligence from both the US and Israel confirmed that the strikes had “destroyed” Iran’s enrichment programme.
President Donald Trump echoed this, saying the operation had “totally obliterated” three key nuclear sites—Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan.
At a Pentagon press briefing, Hegseth described the mission as a “historic success” and dismissed reports that Iran might have moved enriched uranium out of Fordo before the attack. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, also presented footage of the powerful “bunker buster” bombs used.
Khamenei, who had been absent from public view since conflict with Israel began on 13 June, appeared via a televised address on Thursday. Iranian officials had previously confirmed that the supreme leader was in a secure location amid speculation about his whereabouts.
During his address, Khamenei warned of more strikes on US bases if Iran is attacked again. He accused Trump of exaggerating the scale of the strikes and insisted that Iran had not been deterred.
“The enemy could not achieve their objective. If they strike again, the cost for the aggressor will undoubtedly be high,” he said, referencing the earlier attack on the US base in Qatar, which reportedly caused no casualties or damage.
The confrontation began after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran was close to developing a nuclear weapon. A day earlier, the UN nuclear watchdog declared Iran in breach of non-proliferation obligations for the first time in two decades.
In response to the attacks, Iran’s parliament passed a bill ending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, halting nuclear inspections.
Iran’s health ministry reported 610 deaths from 12 days of airstrikes, while Israeli officials confirmed 28 fatalities. The US became directly involved in the conflict last weekend and later brokered a ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi said there’s a possibility Iran may have relocated some of its enriched uranium before the strikes. Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is strictly for civilian use.
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