Trump threatens Khamenei with bombing of Iran again after his words about "slapping America"
Kyiv • UNN
Donald Trump criticized Ali Khamenei for his statements about "slapping America," threatening renewed bombings of Iran if uranium enrichment continues. Trump also stated that he saved Khamenei from death by rejecting plans from Israel and the US.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump sharply criticized Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for his remarks about “slapping America.” The White House chief stated that he would consider re-bombing Iran if Tehran enriches uranium to an alarming level, UNN reports with reference to Reuters.
Details
Trump reacted harshly to Khamenei's first remarks after the 12-day conflict with Israel, which ended with the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities last weekend.
Khamenei said that Iran “slapped America” by launching an attack on a large US base in Qatar after the US bombings. Khamenei also stated that Iran would never surrender.
Trump stated at a White House press conference that he did not rule out a repeated strike on Iran when asked about the possibility of new bombings of Iranian nuclear facilities if deemed necessary at some point.
"Of course, absolutely, absolutely," he said.
Trump also stressed that he spared Khamenei's life. On June 15, US officials told Reuters that Trump had vetoed Israel's plan to kill Iran's Supreme Leader.
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"His country was destroyed, his three ominous nuclear facilities were destroyed, and I knew exactly where he was hiding, and I did not allow Israel or the US Armed Forces, the greatest and most powerful in the world, to take his life," Trump wrote in a social media post.
"I saved him from a very bad and shameful death," he said.
Iran said that a potential nuclear deal is conditioned on the US ceasing its "disrespectful tone" towards the supreme leader.
"If President Trump sincerely wants a deal, he must abandon the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran's supreme leader, the great Ayatollah Khamenei, and stop hurting millions of his sincere followers," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X early Saturday morning.
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Trump also stated that in recent days he had been working on a possible lifting of sanctions against Iran to give it a chance for quick recovery. He said he had now abandoned these efforts.
"I was struck by statements of anger, hatred, and disgust, and I immediately stopped all work on sanctions relief," he said.
Trump said he would like International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors - the UN nuclear watchdog - or another reputable source to be able to inspect Iran's nuclear facilities after they were bombed last weekend.
Trump dismissed any suggestions that the damage to the facilities was not as significant as he had said.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said on Wednesday that ensuring the resumption of IAEA inspections was his top priority, as none had taken place since Israel began bombing on June 13.
However, on Wednesday, the Iranian parliament approved steps to suspend such inspections. Araghchi noted on Friday that Tehran might reject any request from the agency's head to visit Iranian nuclear facilities.
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Trump said Iran still wants to meet on next steps. The White House indicated on Thursday that no meeting between a US and Iranian delegation is currently planned.
Additions
According to CNN, the Trump administration discussed the possibility of helping Iran gain access to $30 billion in exchange for abandoning its nuclear program and investing in a new Iranian nuclear program without uranium enrichment. The negotiations took place amid military strikes on Iran and Israel.