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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has strongly rebuked former U.S. President Donald Trump, accusing him of deceit over his claims of wanting peace in the Middle East. The remarks come in the wake of Trump’s Gulf tour, during which he asserted that his administration sought regional peace, even as he issued new warnings to Tehran.
“Trump lies when he says he wants peace in the region,” Khamenei declared during a public event at a religious center in Tehran on Saturday, as reported by state media. “Meanwhile, the United States continues to support the Zionist regime by supplying it with 10-ton bombs to drop on the heads of Gaza’s innocent children.”
Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday after his visit to the United Arab Emirates, had issued a fresh ultimatum to Iran, saying it must swiftly respond to a U.S. proposal regarding its nuclear program or face unspecified consequences. “Something bad’s going to happen,” Trump warned.
Responding earlier the same day, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian criticized the contradiction in Trump’s rhetoric. Speaking at a naval event in Tehran, Pezeshkian said, “Trump talks about peace and, at the same time, makes threats. Which are we supposed to believe?”
He further emphasized that while Iran is committed to continued dialogue regarding its nuclear program, it will not be intimidated by threats or ultimatums. “We are not seeking war,” Pezeshkian stressed.
However, Ayatollah Khamenei dismissed Pezeshkian’s call for clarity in Trump’s messaging as unworthy of serious attention. “His remarks aren’t even worth responding to,” Khamenei said. “They are an embarrassment to the speaker and to the American people themselves.”
Khamenei also launched a pointed attack on Israel, labeling it the root of instability in the region. “Undoubtedly, the source of corruption, war, and conflict in this region is the Zionist regime — a dangerous, deadly cancerous tumor that must be uprooted; and it will be uprooted,” he asserted.
While Trump claimed on Friday that Iran had been presented with a U.S. proposal regarding its nuclear program, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi countered that statement. In a post on social platform X, Araqchi said no such proposal had been received by Tehran. “There is no scenario in which Iran abandons its hard-earned right to [uranium] enrichment for peaceful purposes,” he wrote.
Araqchi also criticized the inconsistent U.S. approach to negotiations, arguing that it was hindering progress. Speaking on state television Saturday, he stated, “It is absolutely unacceptable that America repeatedly defines a new framework for negotiations. This only serves to prolong the process and sow confusion.”
President Pezeshkian echoed these concerns, maintaining Iran’s firm stance on its nuclear rights. “We will not back down from our legitimate rights,” he declared. “Because we refuse to bow to bullying, they claim we are the source of instability in the region.”
Tensions between the two countries have once again reached a boiling point as nuclear negotiations stall. A fourth round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks concluded in Oman last Sunday without significant progress. No date has yet been set for a fifth round of negotiations.
