US President Donald Trump on Friday, June 28, claimed he had saved Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from assassination, only to be met with “ingratitude.”
He then warned he would order fresh strikes if Iran pursued nuclear weapons.
In a series of posts on his Truth Social platform, Trump criticized Tehran for declaring victory over Israel and announced he was halting discussions on possible sanctions relief.
Trump said the United States would have “no hesitation” in bombing Iran again if the country resumed enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels after recent US strikes.
The president accused Khamenei of ingratitude following remarks by the Iranian leader downplaying damage from the bombings and boasting that Iran had defeated Israel and delivered a “slap” to Washington.
“I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel or the U.S. Armed Forces—the greatest and most powerful in the world—terminate his life,” Trump wrote.
“I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH, and he doesn’t even have to say, ‘THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!’”
Trump revealed he had been considering easing sanctions on Iran, a longstanding demand of Tehran’s, but dropped the idea after Khamenei’s defiant statements.
“Instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, so I immediately stopped all work on sanction relief,” Trump said, urging Iran to return to the negotiating table.
Meanwhile, Iran has denied it plans to restart nuclear talks with Washington, contradicting Trump’s earlier comments at a NATO summit in The Hague suggesting new negotiations could begin next week.
Tehran also rejected a request by Rafael Grossi, head of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to inspect facilities recently targeted by Israeli and US strikes. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Grossi on X of failing to condemn the bombings, calling it an “astounding betrayal” of his responsibilities.
Asked at a White House press conference whether he would approve new airstrikes if previous ones failed to halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Trump replied: “Sure. Without question. Absolutely.”
Trump also ridiculed Khamenei’s claims of victory, saying Iran “got beat to hell” during the recent hostilities. “It was a great time to end it,” he said.
In his posts, Trump added: “As a man of great faith, he [Khamenei] is not supposed to lie, yet he blatantly and foolishly claims Iran won the 12-day war with Israel.”
The war of words follows a fragile ceasefire after a conflict that erupted on June 13, when Israel launched airstrikes it said were intended to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
“Israel acted at the last possible moment against an imminent threat to itself, the region, and the world,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted on X. “Now the international community must prevent, by any means necessary, the world’s most extreme regime from acquiring the world’s most dangerous weapon.”
Khamenei made his first appearance since the ceasefire in a televised address Thursday, declaring Iran’s “victory” over Israel and vowing never to bow to US pressure.
“The American president exaggerated events in unusual ways—it seems he needed this exaggeration,” Khamenei said, rejecting Trump’s claim that Iran’s nuclear program had been set back by decades
