Iran delivered a 'hard slap to America's face', Khamenei says

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has offered repeated congratulations to the Iranians on their "victory" over Israel in a series of posts on the social media platform X today (Thursday).

He said the US "entered a direct war because it felt that if it did not, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed", reports the BBC.

Khamenei went on to suggest the US "gained no achievements from this war," adding that Iran was able to emerge "victorious" and "delivered a hard slap to America's face", according to the report.

The supreme leader, in his first video message since US strikes on his country and Iran's ceasefire with Israel, said "nothing significant" occurred to the nuclear sites struck by the US earlier this week, a remark that directly opposes US President Donald Trump's assertion that Iran's nuclear programme had been "obliterated", as per the BBC report.

Khamenei, in a speech broadcast by state TV, said his country demonstrated their unity, sending a message that "our people are one voice".

The Iranian leader also said Trump called on his country to "surrender" but his comments were "too big for the mouth" of the US president, the report says.

"For a great country and nation like Iran, the very mention of surrender is an insult," he added.

The Iranian leader, according to the BBC report, also threatened to carry out more strikes on US bases in the region, adding, "If an attack occurs, the cost to the enemy and the aggressor will certainly be high".