U.S. President Donald Trump strongly criticized Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday, announcing he had abandoned plans to ease sanctions on Iran and warning of potential new military strikes if Tehran pursues concerning levels of uranium enrichment.
The remarks came in response to Khamenei’s first public comments following a 12-day confrontation with Israel, which ended after U.S. airstrikes targeted Iranian nuclear facilities last weekend. Khamenei claimed Iran had “slapped America in the face” through retaliatory strikes on a major U.S. base in Qatar and vowed his country would never surrender.
Trump revealed he had previously spared Khamenei’s life, confirming a June 15 Reuters report that he blocked an Israeli plan to assassinate the Iranian leader. The president also disclosed he had recently considered sanction relief to facilitate Iran’s economic recovery but reversed course after Khamenei’s statements.
“I received messages of anger, hatred and disgust, so I immediately stopped all work on sanction relief and more,” Trump stated during a White House press briefing.
When questioned about potential future military action, Trump did not rule out additional strikes on Iranian nuclear sites if enrichment activities reach threatening levels.