Khamenei Declares 'Victory' Over Israel and the United States

Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran, stated on June 26 (local time), "I congratulate the great nation of Iran on its victory over the fake regime of the Zionists (Israel)."

Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran. Photo by Yonhap News

On this day, Ayatollah Khamenei posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, claiming, "Despite all the exaggerations and assertions, the Zionist regime was nearly collapsed and destroyed by the attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

He also said, "I congratulate Iran on its victory over the American regime," emphasizing, "The United States believed that if it did not intervene, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed, so it entered the war directly. However, it gained nothing, and Iran inflicted tremendous humiliation on the United States."

Iranian media reported that he also released a video statement with the same message.

This is the first time Ayatollah Khamenei has expressed his position since Israel and Iran reached a surprise ceasefire agreement on June 24, ending 12 days of armed conflict at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump.

On June 22, after the United States dropped a bunker-buster bomb on the Fordow nuclear facility, a core site for Iran's uranium enrichment activities, he warned the following day that "the Zionist enemy has made a grave mistake and committed a tremendous crime," and that "they must be punished."

During the conflict with Israel, Ayatollah Khamenei refrained from public activities. Foreign media speculated that he was hiding in an underground bunker due to concerns about possible assassination attempts.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.