Iran 'Delivered a Heavy Slap to the US's Face,' Says Supreme Leader Khamenei

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has declared that the Islamic Republic “delivered a heavy slap to the US’s face” following Tehran’s recent missile strike on a key American military base in the Gulf region. The comments mark his first public remarks since a US-brokered ceasefire was reached between Iran and Israel. Speaking on Thursday, Khamenei accused the United States of intervening directly in the conflict to prevent Israel’s collapse. “The US regime entered the war directly because it felt that if it didn’t, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed,” Khamenei said

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has declared that the Islamic Republic “delivered a heavy slap to the US’s face” following Tehran’s recent missile strike on a key American military base in the Gulf region. The comments mark his first public remarks since a US-brokered ceasefire was reached between Iran and Israel. Speaking on Thursday, Khamenei accused the United States of intervening directly in the conflict to prevent Israel’s collapse. “The US regime entered the war directly because it felt that if it didn’t, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed,” Khamenei said in a post on X. “It entered the war in an effort to save that regime but achieved nothing.” The Supreme Leader went on to claim that Iran’s retaliatory strike on Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, a major hub for US military operations in the region, was a clear message to Washington. “The Islamic Republic delivered a heavy slap to the US’s face. It attacked and inflicted damage on the Al-Udeid Air Base, which is one of the key US bases in the region,” he added. The Iranian strike on Monday was widely viewed as a response to the United States’ weekend bombing campaign targeting Iran’s underground nuclear facilities. The move by Tehran appeared calculated to send a message without prompting full-scale escalation. Former US President Donald Trump dismissed the Iranian strike as “very weak,” claiming on social media that 13 out of 14 missiles fired had been intercepted. The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the attempted attack, with spokesperson Majed Al Ansari stating: “Qatar’s air defenses successfully thwarted the attack and intercepted the Iranian missiles. There were no casualties.” The incident underscored the rising tensions in the region and the increasingly direct nature of Iran’s confrontation with both Israel and the United States, despite diplomatic efforts to rein in the conflict.