Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, recently warned of more such attacks to come against the US. He promised to take his revenge on American troops by striking American military installations in the Middle East. In this address, Khamenei gave his first public comments since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was announced. This speech coincides with another flare up of regional tensions. Publicly, these statements signal a cynical strategic rebellion to what he sees as hostile US moves against Iran.
From his currently unknown location, Khamenei declared in his virtual message that Iran had already shot 400 ballistic missiles on Israel. He further disclosed that Iran fired 1,000 drones during the same 12-day span in the last war. He pointed to these actions as an indicator of Iran’s military strategy. He even went so far as to declare that the Islamic Republic had already “delivered a slap to America’s face” for these alleged provocations.
Khamenei’s comments come on the heels of an Iranian missile attack on a US base in Qatar—an action that took place just days ago. Despite the lack of casualties from this attack, Khamenei emphasized that it demonstrated Iran’s capability to strike at American interests in the region. He stated, “The fact that the Islamic republic has access to important American centres in the region and can take action against them whenever it deems necessary is not a small incident. It is a major incident, and this incident can be repeated in the future if an attack is made.”
In his address, Khamenei was clearly attempting to assuage the blowback from last weekend’s US attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities. He firmly stated that these strikes were not accomplishing what they wanted to accomplish. He claimed former President Donald Trump was simply fearmongering by overstating the effect of these attacks to keep Americans from realizing they just don’t work. Khamenei contended that Trump’s insistence on Iran’s unconditional surrender at the onset of the conflict revealed the true ambitions of the US regarding Iran.
At 86 years old, Khamenei’s recent public appearance comes after a notable absence following the outbreak of war on June 13. He addressed us from behind a brown shroud. An Iranian flag and a portrait of his predecessor, Ruhollah Khomeini, flanked him, giving the scene a very somber, very powerful-dictator feel.
Khamenei addressed the broader implications of the conflict, suggesting that Iran’s leadership remains resolute despite facing significant challenges. He went on to excoriate the way the war’s results were presented, claiming that Iran had achieved an unequivocal “victory” on Israel’s doorstep. He doubled down on his never-ending battle to resist US capitulation.
At the time, Khamenei had already ruled out any negotiation on uranium enrichment. He had previously warned that any negotiations would be removed from the table if Iran’s nuclear plants were destroyed. This stance signals a firm resolve from Iranian leadership as it navigates continued tensions with both the US and Israel.