“Keep dreaming!”: Iran’s Khamenei fires back at Trump’s claims of destroying nuclear facilities

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday dismissed statements by US President Trump regarding the destruction of Iran's nuclear facilities, telling Washington to "keep dreaming."

The leader also sharply criticized the United States, branding it the "main accomplice" in "war crimes" in Gaza, and lauded Iran's own missile capabilities which he said "destroyed the depths" of important centers belonging to the "Zionist regime."

Speaking at a meeting with Iranian sports champions and winners of international scientific Olympiads in Tehran, Khamenei took aim at the US President's claim about Iran’s nuclear program.

"The US President boasts that they’ve bombed and destroyed Iran’s nuclear industry. Very well. Keep dreaming!" Khamenei declared.

In mid-June, ‘Israel’ launched an unprecedented bombing campaign on Iran. The US briefly joined in, striking key Iranian nuclear facilities.

Last week, during a speech at the ‘Israeli’ Knesset, Trump reiterated that the US confirmed "obliterating" Iranian nuclear sites during the strikes.

"So we dropped 14 bombs on Iran's key nuclear facilities. Totally as I said originally obliterating them and that's been confirmed," he said.

In a Sunday interview with Fox News, Trump also said Iran "no longer became the bully of the Middle East" after the US strikes which "destroyed their nuclear capability".

He further called the strikes "the most beautiful military operation".

The true impact of the US strikes remains unknown.

The Pentagon has said that the strikes delayed Iran's nuclear programme by between one and two years, contradicting an initial classified US intelligence report that according to American media found the setback was only by a few months.

He challenged Washington's authority on the matter, asking: "What authority do you, Americans, have to dictate what a country should or shouldn't do if it possesses nuclear industry? What position do you hold in the world? How is it any of America's business whether Iran has nuclear capabilities and nuclear industry or not?"

The Supreme Leader also used the address to assert Iran's military prowess, linking it to the nation's youth and independence.

"Iranian missiles were able to penetrate into the depths of several of the Zionist regime's important centers to destroy them," he claimed, adding, "These missiles were built by young Iranians. We didn’t buy them from anywhere else."

He warned that the Armed Forces "will use them again later should the need arise."

US is "Accomplice" in Gaza War Crimes, a "True Manifestation of Terrorism"

"The US is undeniably the main accomplice in the war crimes taking place in Gaza," Khamenei stated. "US resources and weaponry have been made abundantly available to the Zionist regime so they could be dropped on the defenseless people of Gaza. The US is an accomplice in this crime."

He questioned the US President's anti-terrorism rhetoric in light of the civilian toll: "The US President says that they’re fighting terrorism. But more than 20,000 children and infants have been martyred in these attacks. Were these children terrorists?" He further accused the US directly: "You’re the terrorists! You, the US, are the terrorists who’ve created Daesh and unleashed them on West Asia."

The leader ultimately deemed the United States a "true manifestation of terrorism" and a "warmonger," pointing to the network of American military bases in the region.

Rejection of US Negotiations and Sanctions

Khamenei also rejected any possibility of a deal with the US, accusing Washington of deception and coercion against the Iranian people.

"The US President says that he makes deals and wants to make a deal with Iran. 'Dealing' where the outcome is predetermined using coercion isn’t a way of dealing. It’s a way of imposing something, and the Iranian nation will never submit to such impositions," he said.

He dismissed the notion of the US being an ally of Iranians, pointing to the economic pressure exerted by Washington. "He claims that he’s on the Iranian people’s side. He’s lying! Who are the US sanctions directed against? They’re against the Iranian people. You’re the enemy of the Iranian nation. You aren’t a friend of the Iranian nation."

Finally, Khamenei encouraged the assembled youth to view their achievements as a success in Iran's ongoing "soft war."