‘Saved him from ugly death': Trump tears into Khamenei day after his victory speech
United States President Donald Trump has claimed that he spared Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei an 'ugly and ignominious death' during the 12-day war with Israel, a day after the latter claimed victory over the US. US President Donald Trump said that he knew 'exactly' where Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei was sheltered but did not let Israel and the US armed forces 'terminate his life'.
In a heavily worded post on TruthSocial, Trump called Khamenei's claim of victory in the war against Israel a 'lie' and added that as a 'man of great faith, he is not supposed to lie'.
Trump added that during the United States' attack on Iran, the country was 'decimated', its three nuclear sites - Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan - were 'obliterated', and that he knew 'exactly' where Khamenei was sheltered but did not let Israel and the US armed forces 'terminate his life'.
'I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH,' Trump wrote.
'...and he does not have to say, 'THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!' he added.
'In fact, in the final act of the War, I demanded that Israel bring back a very large group of planes, which were heading directly to Tehran, looking for a big day, perhaps the final knockout! Tremendous damage would have ensued, and many Iranians would have been killed. It was going to be the biggest attack of the War, by far.'
Trump's post comes a day after Khamenei made an appearance on Thursday and congratulated his country for victory over the United States and said that America had to enter the war because otherwise, Israel would have been destroyed.
'My congratulations on our dear Iran's victory over the US regime. The US regime entered the war directly because it felt that if it didn't, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed. It entered the war in an effort to save that regime but achieved nothing,' Khamenei said. 'Was working on possible removal of sanctions'
According to Trump, after the ceasefire was declared between Israel and Iran, he was working on removing sanctions against the latter to help the country recover faster. However, he said that he stopped working on that after Khamenei's statement.
'During the last few days, I was working on the possible removal of sanctions, and other things, which would have given a much better chance to Iran at a full, fast, and complete recovery - The sanctions are BITING! But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more,' Trump wrote.
He also said that Iran has to get back into the 'world order flow' or things would only get worse for them. 'Honey' over 'Vinegar'
Calling Iran 'angry, hostile, and unhappy', Trump said that these things have only crippled the country militarily and economically. Throwing in a suggestion for Iran, he added that he wishes their leadership understands that more things can be achieved with 'honey' than 'vinegar'.
'They are always so angry, hostile, and unhappy, and look at what it has gotten them - A burned out, blown up Country, with no future, a decimated Military, a horrible Economy, and DEATH all around them. They have no hope, and it will only get worse! I wish the leadership of Iran would realize that you often get more with HONEY than you do with VINEGAR. PEACE!!!' Trump wrote. What Israel's defence minister said
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that his country wanted to kill Khamenei during the 12-day war with Iran, however, did not do so due to lack of opportunity.
"I estimate that if Khamenei had been in our sights, we would have taken him out," he told Israel's Kan public television, according to Reuters.
"But Khamenei understood this, went underground to very great depths, and broke off contacts with the commanders who replaced those commanders who were eliminated, so it wasn't realistic in the end," he added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
14 minutes ago
- India Today
Trump says he'll resolve North Korea conflict, cites good ties with Kim Jong-un
US President Donald Trump on Friday said he will "get the conflict solved with North Korea." At an Oval Office event where he highlighted his efforts to resolve global conflicts, Trump was asked whether he had written a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as was reported this did not directly answer the question, but said: "I've had a good relationship with Kim Jong Un and get along with him, really great. So we'll see what saying there's a potential conflict, I think we'll work it out," Trump said. "If there is, it wouldn't involve us." Seoul-based NK News, a website that monitors North Korea, reported this month that North Korea's delegation at the United Nations in New York had repeatedly refused to accept a letter from Trump to and Kim held three summits during Trump's 2017-2021 first term and exchanged a number of letters that Trump called "beautiful," before the unprecedented diplomatic effort broke down over US demands that Kim give up his nuclear his second term Trump has acknowledged that North Korea is a "nuclear power." The White House said on June 11 that Trump would welcome communications again with Kim, while not confirming that any letter was Korea has shown no interest in returning to talks since the breakdown of Trump's diplomacy in has, instead, significantly expanded its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, and developed close ties with Russia through direct support for Moscow's war in Ukraine, to which Pyongyang has provided both troops and weaponry.- EndsTune InMust Watch
The Hindu
35 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Saved Khamenei from ugly death, says Trump; warns further attacks by U.S. or Israel
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday (June 27, 2025) scoffed at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's heated warning to the U.S. not to launch future strikes on Iran, as well as the Iranian supreme leader's assertion that Tehran 'won the war' with Israel. Mr. Trump, in remarks to reporters and later in an extended statement on social media, said Khamenei's comments defied reality after 12 days of Israeli strikes and the U.S. bombardment of three key nuclear sites inflicted severe damage on the country's nuclear programme. The President suggested Mr. 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,' Mr. Trump said of Mr. Khamenei. 'You got beat to hell.' The U.S. President spoke out a day after Mr. Khamenei insisted Tehran had delivered a 'slap to America's face' by striking a U.S. air base in Qatar and warned against further attacks by the U.S. or Israel on Iran. Mr. 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. The heated rhetoric from Mr. Trump and Mr. Khamenei continued as both leaders face difficult questions about the impact of the strikes. Mr. Trump and his aides have pushed back vociferously after an early damage assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency became public and indicated that the U.S. bombardment likely only set back Tehran's nuclear programme by months. Eighty-six-year-old Khamenei, the most powerful figure in Iran's theocracy, meanwhile, has appeared intent on demonstrating his authority and vigour amid speculation about his health and how involved he was in making Iran's wartime decisions through the 12-day conflict. In a social media post Friday (June 27, 2025), Mr. Trump also appeared to refer to a plan presented to the White House by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in the first days of the Israel-Iran conflict to try to kill Mr. Khamenei. Mr. Trump vetoed that plan, according to a U.S. official who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. '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,' Mr. 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!' ' wrote Mr. Trump, after the U.S. airstrikes, sending warnings via social media to Mr. Khamenei that the U.S. knew where he was but had no plans to kill him, 'at least for now.' Editorial | Strategic misfire: On the Israel-Iran conflict After launching the U.S. strikes — including with U.S.-made bunker-buster bombs — Mr. Trump has been insistent that Iran's nuclear sites have been 'obliterated'. Administration officials have not disputed the contents of the DIA report but have sought to focus on a CIA statement and other intelligence assessments, including those out of Iran and Israel, that said the strikes severely damaged the nuclear sites and rendered an enrichment facility inoperable. Mr. Trump also said that he expects Iran to open itself to international inspection to verify it doesn't restart its nuclear programme. Asked if he would demand during expected talks with Iran that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) or some other organisation be authorised to conduct inspections, Mr. Trump told reporters the Islamic Republic would have to cooperate with the IAEA 'or somebody that we respect, including ourselves.' White House officials have said they expect to restart talks soon with Iran, though nothing has been scheduled. U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff earlier this week said there has been direct and indirect communication between the countries. A sixth round of US-Iran negotiations was scheduled for earlier this month in Oman but was cancelled after Israel attacked Iran. Mr. Trump expressed confidence that Iran's nuclear ambition has faded. 'Can I tell you, they're exhausted. And Israel's exhausted, too,' Mr. Trump said. He added, 'The last thing they're thinking right now is nuclear.'
Mint
42 minutes ago
- Mint
Trump Says Gaza Ceasefire May Be ‘Close,' Possibly Within Week
President Donald Trump said he thought a ceasefire in Gaza could be 'close,' perhaps in the next week. 'I just spoke with some of the people involved. It's a terrible situation that's going,' the president told reporters at the White House on Friday afternoon. 'And we think within the next week, we're going to get a ceasefire, and we're supplying, as you know, a lot of money and a lot of food to that area.' He did not provide further details on how an agreement might unfold or say to whom he spoke about a possible halt in the war that began with the Hamas assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. 'We're involved because people are dying,' Trump added. The Israeli Embassy in Washington didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday evening. Earlier: Meloni Pushes for Gaza Ceasefire at G-7 Amid Israel-Iran Crisis Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump was assiduously pursuing a truce. 'On Gaza, I felt that President Trump was very determined, very resolute, aware of the importance of a ceasefire, and I think his commitment is essential on this issue,' Macron told reporters in Brussels. 'I know that his team is engaged in ongoing discussions.' Separately, Israel has estimated that the cost of damages incurred during its 12-day war with Iran at 10 billion shekels , with funds needed both to repair buildings struck by missiles and pay compensation to local businesses. The calculations shared by the Israeli finance ministry and tax body this week indicate the extent to which Iran broke through Israel's defenses during nearly two weeks of rocket fire. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
