US President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Tehran, vowing renewed military action should Iran resume its nuclear research efforts, days after a brief but intense conflict between Israel and Iran.
In a characteristically combative post on Truth Social, President Trump claimed he had “saved” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from “a VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH”, while also accusing him of “blatantly and foolishly” lying by declaring victory in the 12-day conflict.
His comments followed Ayatollah Khamenei’s defiant address on Thursday, in which he claimed that Iran had struck a “slap in the face” of the United States by targeting a military base in Qatar in retaliation for American strikes on the country’s nuclear facilities at Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan.
“Khamenei’s country was decimated, including his three nuclear sites. I knew his whereabouts and yet restrained US and Israeli forces from terminating his life,” Trump declared on Friday.
Also read: Khamenei mocks Trump over his ‘Iran should surrender’ remark
In the same message, the President revealed he had personally intervened to urge Israel to halt what he described as the “final knockout”, suggesting that the escalation had reached a point of near-total destruction for Iran’s military infrastructure.
The Pentagon-led strikes on the three nuclear sites were met with a flurry of domestic criticism in the United States, with several analysts and opposition figures questioning both their tactical efficacy and the risks they posed. Two chief concerns were raised — the actual radius and precision of the strikes, and potential radiation leaks or environmental hazards resulting from the attacks.
Trump, in his defence, maintained that Khamenei’s rhetoric reflected desperation and humiliation after the US “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “His statement was filled with anger, hatred and disgust after US forces obliterated the country’s nuclear research facilities,” he wrote.
Tensions have further escalated with the Iranian parliament approving a bill to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The move has been interpreted as a significant setback for global non-proliferation efforts.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday criticised the IAEA and its Director General Rafael Grossi, accusing the agency of bias following its silence on the US airstrikes.
“[IAEA Director General] Grossi’s insistence on visiting the bombed sites under the pretext of safeguards is meaningless and possibly even malign in intent,” Araghchi stated in a post on X.
The IAEA has yet to issue a formal response, although Grossi has repeatedly stressed the importance of access to Iran’s nuclear sites in the wake of rising instability across the region.
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