Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, declared on Thursday that Iran had achieved victory over Israel and the United States in a 12-day war that began on June 13 and ended on June 24.
In his speech, Khamenei said that “Israel was on the verge of collapse and destruction under Iranian strikes and that the U.S. failed to achieve any gains from the war. It intervened only because it feared Israel's complete destruction.” He added that the “U.S. aggression yielded no results, and Iran delivered a decisive blow.”
He also stated that Iran's nuclear facilities remained operational and that “the American bombing achieved very little.” Khamenei accused then-President Donald Trump of “exaggerating the scale of the U.S. attack while knowing the truth.”
According to Khamenei, the U.S. seeks Iran's full surrender—not just uranium enrichment limits—and warned that “any future aggression will result in renewed attacks on American bases.”
The conflict began on June 13 when Israel launched surprise airstrikes under the operation “Rising Lion,” targeting military and nuclear sites in Iran, including the main uranium enrichment facility in Natanz.
The Israeli strikes killed several senior figures, including top nuclear scientists and military leaders, among them IRGC Commander Hossein Salami, Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri, and Aerospace Force Chief Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
Iran responded with retaliatory airstrikes in an operation called “True Promise 3,” hitting dozens of military sites and airbases in Israel. Iran stated the strikes would continue as long as necessary.
On the following Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Iran and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire after nearly two weeks of mutual escalation.