Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Donald Trump 'exaggerated' impact of US strikes on nuclear sites

Khamenei said Iran will 'never surrender' to US

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Thursday that arch-enemy Israel "almost collapsed" following the Islamic republic's retaliatory strikes during a 12-day war launched by Israel.

"The Zionist regime almost collapsed and was crushed under the strikes of the Islamic republic," Khamenei said in a statement carried by state media, two days after a ceasefire ended the war.

Referring to US President Donald Trump, who had claimed to have "obliterated" Iran's nuclear programme, Khamenei said that he "exaggerated events in unusual ways, and it turned out that he needed this exaggeration -- anyone who has heard these words has understood that there is another truth behind these words".

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also said that "nothing significant" occurred to nuclear sites struck by the United States earlier this week, during a war with Israel.

"They attacked our nuclear facilities, which of course would merit criminal prosecution in international courts, but they did nothing significant," Khamenei said in a televised speech aired by state TV. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei further said that US President Donald Trump had sought to "minimise" the impact of Iran's retaliatory strikes on a US base in Qatar.

Trump "tried... to pretend that nothing had happened, when a major event had occurred", Khamenei said in a televised speech on state TV of Iran's attack on Monday on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar -- the largest US military facility in the Middle East.

Khamenei said the attack "caused damage", while Trump has shrugged it off as "very weak". No casualties were reported at the base.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s remarks arrive just two days after a ceasefire concluded a 12-day war between Iran and Israel — the most intense and destructive clash in their history.

The statement also comes in the wake of a debate in the United States regarding the real impact of American airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure during the conflict.

Meanwhile, both nations have asserted victory in the aftermath. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a “historic triumph” for Israel earlier this week, underscoring the ongoing battle over narrative as the region reels from the devastation.

Iran has repeatedly rejected allegations that it is pursuing nuclear weapons, asserting instead its legitimate right to use atomic energy for peaceful purposes. It has also expressed readiness to resume nuclear negotiations with the United States.

According to Tehran, Israeli airstrikes during the recent conflict resulted in the deaths of at least 627 civilians. In contrast, Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Israel led to 28 fatalities, based on official Israeli data.

A state funeral is scheduled for Saturday in Tehran to honor senior military commanders and nuclear scientists who lost their lives during the conflict.

With Agency Inputs