Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Monday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims that U.S. strikes in June completely destroyed Iran’s nuclear sites. In a statement on his official website, Khamenei told Trump to “keep dreaming” and questioned the U.S. president’s authority to dictate what a country should possess regarding its nuclear industry.
The claims stem from mid-June, when tensions in the Middle East escalated following Israel’s bombing campaign on Iran, with the U.S. briefly joining to strike key Iranian nuclear facilities. During a speech at the Israeli Knesset last week, Trump reiterated that the U.S. had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites, calling the operation “the most beautiful military operation” in a Fox News interview on Sunday. He further stated that Iran was “no longer the bully of the Middle East” due to the strikes.
However, the true extent of the damage to Iran’s nuclear sites remains unclear due to restricted press access. A Pentagon report suggests the strikes delayed Iran’s nuclear program by one to two years, contradicting an earlier U.S. intelligence report that estimated a setback of only a few months.
Khamenei called Trump’s statements “improper, wrong, and bullying.” The June conflict, which derailed planned nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington, also resulted in the deaths of top Iranian scientists and military leaders, with Khamenei’s whereabouts unknown until a ceasefire was reached. Israel also reported losses of life and infrastructure.
