Iran's Khamenei Says US Intervention in War Achieved Nothing
(Bloomberg) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed victory in the war with Israel and said the US's intervention achieved nothing, in his first comments since a ceasefire came into effect earlier this week.
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'The Islamic Republic emerged victorious and delivered a harsh slap to America's face' he said in a pre-recorded video message, adding the US 'gained no achievements from this war.'
The comments come amid conflicting assessments about the effectiveness of the US strikes.
European officials believe Tehran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium remains largely intact, the FT reported Thursday, citing people briefed on preliminary intelligence assessments. Oil rose to a session high following the report.
In the US, President Donald Trump suggested no uranium was removed from targeted sites. He's claimed they were 'obliterated,' contradicting a Pentagon intelligence report. Iran has only said that its facilities were 'badly damaged.'
Khamenei hasn't appeared in public since the start of the war on June 13, when Israel launched surprise attacks on nuclear and military targets across Iran. In a frenetic 12-day period, several Iranian military leaders and scientists were killed, the US joined Israel with strikes on Iran's nuclear sites and Tehran targeted a US base in Qatar.
A truce was eventually announced by Trump on Tuesday and has broadly held since — despite early violations threatening to unwind it.
'Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price,' Khamenei said, warning Iran could repeat its attack on US bases in the region in future.
Nuclear Standoff
In Tehran, lawmakers have been focused on curtailing Iran's cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
A law suspending Tehran's cooperation with the IAEA came into effect after approval on Thursday by the country's powerful Guardian Council — an unelected chamber responsible for vetting legislation.
Iranian officials have heavily condemned the IAEA for violating its own rules on neutrality. They've also accused the agency of providing Israel with a pretext to launch its attacks on Iran.
The law would appear to violate the terms of Iran's agreements with the IAEA. The Islamic Republic can only legally end cooperation with the agency if it formally withdraws from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
The IAEA has been unable to conduct inspections in Iran since the start of the conflict, and has said it needs to confirm the whereabouts of Tehran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
(Adds detail on US strikes' impact from third paragraph, status of law in second section.)
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