Ayatollah mocks Trump, touts ‘victory’ over Israel in 1st appearance since truce

After avoiding public appearances for a week, Iran’s supreme leader releases video message declared victory over Israel and mocking President Donald Trump’s demand for Iranian surrender.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Iran’s supreme leader on Thursday made his first public statement since the end of the 12-day war with Israel, following concerns over his health after avoided appearing in public for a week.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a video statement Thursday afternoon, declaring victory against Israel, claiming that following Iran’s ballistic missile attacks the Jewish state was “nearly brought to its knees.”

“I congratulate the great Iranian nation on the defeat of the fake Zionist regime,” Khamenei said.

“Despite all its noise and claims, the Zionist regime was nearly crushed under the strikes of the Islamic Republic.”

The 86-year-old Islamic cleric, who has served as Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, mocked President Donald Trump, and claiming that the United States carried out airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend to prevent Israel’s destruction.

Khamenei went on to downplay the impact of American airstrikes on Iran.

“My second congratulations go to the victory of our dear Iran over the American regime,” Khamenei said. “The U.S. entered the war directly because it felt that if it did not, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed. Yet it gained nothing from this war.”

“Here too, the Islamic Republic emerged victorious and delivered a harsh slap to the face of America,” Khamenei continued.

The ayatollah extolled what he called the “extraordinary unity” of the Iranian people in the face of Israeli attacks, ignoring long-standing divisions and signs of frustration with the Islamic regime during the war.

“Ninety million people stood together, shoulder to shoulder, without any division in their demands or support,” Khamenei said.

The Shia leader accused President Donald Trump of making “exaggerated” claims regarding the damage to Iran’s nuclear program, and mocked Trump’s call during the war on Iran to surrender.

Trump, the ayatollah said, “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.”

“Trump, in one of his speeches, said Iran needs to surrender. This is too big for him to ask. Trump has unveiled the truth that the US will only be satisfied with Iran’s surrender.”