Khamenei Denounces Trump and Israel Following U.S. President’s Mideast Tour
Supreme Leader Accuses Trump of Lying and Calls for Israel’s Elimination Following U.S. President’s Regional Visit
JERUSALEM — Just hours after President Donald Trump wrapped up a regional tour of the Middle East, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched a scathing attack on the U.S. and Israel, calling Trump “a liar” and urging the elimination of the Jewish state.
“Trump says he wants to use power for peace. He’s lying,” Khamenei posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Some remarks made during his visit aren’t even worth responding to — they’re an embarrassment to the American people.”
Iran, designated by Washington as a state sponsor of terrorism since the 1980s, has maintained a fiercely hostile stance toward Israel. Khamenei once again labeled Israel “a cancerous tumor” that must be eradicated — a phrase long associated with Iran’s anti-Zionist rhetoric.
The Iranian leader also criticized Sunni Arab states aligned with the U.S., including Saudi Arabia and Qatar. “This failed model, where Arab states are told they can’t survive ten days without U.S. support, is being imposed again. But it will collapse, and America will leave this region,” he said.
Khamenei accused the U.S. of fostering dependence among its regional allies, claiming Washington aims to keep Arab governments reliant on American backing. “The U.S. wants these countries to be incapable of functioning on their own — that’s the underlying message,” he said.
He further condemned U.S. support for Israel’s military actions in Gaza, alleging American complicity in violence. “The U.S. has used its power to massacre in Gaza and fuel conflict wherever it can,” Khamenei claimed. Iran backs Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that led the deadly October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed over 1,200 people, including Americans.
During his stops in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, President Trump strongly denounced Iran’s role in regional instability. “The biggest and most destructive of these forces is the regime in Iran, which has caused unthinkable suffering in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Yemen, and beyond,” Trump said in Riyadh.
Trump reiterated his demand that Iran halt its nuclear ambitions. “Iran must abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons,” he declared, warning of further isolation if it failed to comply. He also mocked Iran’s domestic failures, contrasting its decaying infrastructure with rapid development in neighboring Gulf nations. “While you’ve been building the tallest skyscrapers in Jeddah and Dubai, Tehran’s 1979 monuments are crumbling.”
Alireza Nader, a U.S.-based expert on Iranian affairs, told Fox News Digital that Tehran has suffered strategic military losses and internal unrest. “Iran has been dealt a severe military setback by Israel, and the public increasingly desires regime change,” he said, adding that Trump holds the upper hand in future negotiations.
