Khamenei rebukes Trump over Iran remarks

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sharply rebuked US President Donald Trump over recent remarks claiming the United States had bombed and destroyed Iran’s nuclear industry, saying the US president has no right to dictate whether another country may possess a nuclear sector. Speaking to hundreds of Iranian athletes and international Olympiad medalists, Khamenei dismissed Trump’s boasts as “dreaming” and accused him of using “bullying and baseless rhetoric” intended to embolden Israel and bolster his own image.

Ayatollah Khamenei framed his remarks around national resilience and youth achievement, praising young Iranians for scientific and sporting successes and rejecting suggestions that the country’s youth are demoralised. He said past conflicts, notably the 1980s war with Iraq and recent strikes attributed to Israel and the US, demonstrated Iran’s capacity to develop indigenous military capabilities—highlighting domestically produced missiles used against Israeli targets—and warned that such capabilities remain available if needed.

The supreme leader also denounced US support for Israel’s actions in Gaza, alleging American complicity in civilian deaths and accusing Washington of enabling what he described as a “genocide,” citing large Palestinian and Iranian casualty figures. He portrayed the US as a “warmonger” that foments terrorism and maintains military bases in the region to exert control, rejecting US offers of talks as coercive and equating pressured negotiations with “imposition and bullying.”

Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated Tehran’s longstanding denial of pursuing nuclear weapons, insisting its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes, while accusing Western states of unfairly branding Iran’s activities. He dismissed Trump’s recent suggestion of renewed talks—made amid ceasefire developments in Gaza—as inauthentic, arguing that any deal backed by coercion would not be acceptable to Iran.

The speech combined sharp geopolitical accusations with domestic messaging: elevating national pride, condemning foreign intervention, and presenting Iran’s scientific and military advances as evidence of self-reliance and deterrence. Authorities continue to reject external prescriptions about Iran’s sovereignty and technological development, while warning against attempts to delegitimize or control the country’s strategic choices.