Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday said that the United States had “gained nothing” from its attacks during the Islamic republic’s 12-day war with Israel that saw nuclear sites hit.
In a statement published by state media, Khamenei said the United States “engaged in the war directly, convinced that its refusal to intervene would lead to the complete destruction of the Zionist regime”.
“It has gained nothing from this war,” Khamenei said of Washington, adding in his first public remarks since a Tuesday ceasefire ended the war that “the Islamic republic won, and in retaliation dealt a severe slap to the face of America”.
“They attacked our nuclear facilities, which of course would merit criminal prosecution in international courts, but they did nothing significant,” Khamenei said in a televised speech aired by state TV.
Referring to US President Donald Trump, who had claimed to have “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme, Khamenei said that he “exaggerated events in unusual ways, and it turned out that he needed this exaggeration — anyone who has heard these words has understood that there is another truth behind these words”.
