WASHINGTON, JUN 28: US President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Iran, threatening further military action if Tehran resumes its nuclear weapons programme, while launching a scathing personal attack on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The warning came in a post shared on Trump’s Truth Social platform on Friday, where the president responded to Khamenei’s claims of a “victory” in the recent 12-day conflict with Israel. Trump accused the Iranian leader of lying “blatantly and foolishly” and said his government had “obliterated” Iran’s key nuclear sites.
“His country was decimated, his three evil Nuclear Sites were OBLITERATED,” Trump wrote, referring to strikes reportedly carried out by US and Israeli forces on Iranian facilities at Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz earlier this month.
The president also claimed he had personally intervened to stop a final attack on Khamenei, despite knowing “EXACTLY where he was sheltered,” and insisted that both the United States and Israel could have eliminated the Iranian leader.
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Khamenei, in his first public comments since the war ended in a ceasefire earlier this week, had claimed Iran had “slapped America in the face” by launching retaliatory missile attacks on a US base in Qatar. He further asserted that Iran had emerged victorious from the conflict, which saw intense cross-border strikes and marked one of the most serious escalations between the two adversaries in years.
Trump dismissed those claims as “a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust,” and said the remarks had prompted him to halt efforts towards sanctions relief and potential diplomatic engagement with Tehran.
Nuclear Impasse
Earlier the same day, Trump was asked during a White House news briefing whether further military action was on the table if Iran resumed its nuclear pursuits. He responded unequivocally: “Sure, without question, absolutely.”
His comments came amid growing international concern over the future of Iran’s nuclear programme. Following the strikes, Iran’s parliament passed legislation suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), effectively cutting off the international watchdog’s access to the bombed sites.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), said that Tehran would likely deny inspection requests by the IAEA, calling Director General Rafael Grossi’s insistence on visiting the facilities “meaningless” and potentially “malign in intent.”
Iran, Araghchi warned, “reserves the right to take any steps in defence of its interests, its people and its sovereignty.”
Grossi, speaking earlier this week, had stressed that restoring access for IAEA inspectors remained his top priority. No inspections have taken place since the start of the Israeli airstrikes on June 13.
Israel Maintains Pressure
Meanwhile, Israel has signalled that it remains on a heightened military posture. Defence Minister Israel Katz on Friday instructed the Israeli Defence Forces to prepare an “enforcement plan” aimed at countering Iranian threats.
The plan, he said, would focus on “maintaining Israel’s air superiority, preventing nuclear advancement and missile production, and responses to Iran for supporting terrorist activities against Israel.”
The Israeli government has consistently accused Tehran of arming militant groups across the region, including Hezbollah and Hamas. Iran, for its part, maintains that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes and has denied seeking nuclear weapons.
