Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has rebuffed former US President Donald Trump’s demand for Iran to surrender. Khamenei stated that the idea was unrealistic.
“The US President stated, ‘Iran must surrender.’ Needless to say, this statement is too big to come out of the US president’s mouth,” Khamenei wrote on X.
Khamenei’s comments were made after the US carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. He declared that Iran had achieved victory in the conflict and dismissed Trump’s claims of a significant military triumph.
Khamenei stated that the US intervened in the war to protect the “Zionist regime” but ultimately failed to achieve its objectives. Trump has said that the strikes caused significant damage to Iran’s nuclear program. Trump later used Truth Social to call for “Unconditional surrender” and warned of further action. Trump stated in a White House address that Iran had to choose between peace and extreme repercussions. He added that other targets remained and would be engaged if peace was not achieved quickly.