Iran's supreme leader appears in public for first time since start of conflict with Israel
Khamenei had not made a public appearance since his country was plunged into conflict on June 13, when Israel unilaterally bombed Iranian military and nuclear sites. The US later joined in, bombing three key Iranian nuclear sites before US President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire.
In video posted by Press TV on X, Khamenei waves to a crowd of black-clad worshippers marking the eve of Ashura, when Shia Muslims commemorate and mourn the death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Husayn ibn Ali. The crowd greeted the cleric in turn with cheers and chants.
Khamenei, the longest-ruling leader in the Middle East, reportedly spent the 12-day conflict with Israel and the US hiding in a bunker with little access to outside communications. During the conflict, both Israeli politicians and Trump openly discussed overthrowing Khamenei's government and deposing him by force.
After reportedly rejecting an Israeli plan to kill Khamenei, Trump stated in late June that the cleric was an 'easy target.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not rule out targeting Khamenei either, saying that his death would 'not … escalate the conflict,' but rather 'end' it.
In a recorded statement posted from an undisclosed location days after the ceasefire began, Khamenei was defiant, declaring victory over both Israel and the US. Khamenei took time to respond directly to US President Donald Trump, who had called for Iran's 'unconditional surrender' shortly before ordering US airstrikes.
'This (conflict) is not about our nuclear program,' Khamenei said. 'This is about Iran surrendering … in his statement, (Trump) revealed the truth, he showed his hand. The Americans have had a fundamental issue with Islamic Iran since our revolution.'
'And it will never happen,' Khamenei said of Trump's demand.
Nonetheless, the conflict with Israel and the US has likely bruised Khamenei's reputation in Iran, analysts told CNN in June. Israel's initial strikes were unprecedented in their depth, killing some of the country's top military leadership on day one.
'The Islamic Republic had one social contract with society, which is that it deprived them of all freedoms … in return for providing security,' said Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group. 'Now, that image has been shattered in the eyes of the Iranian people.'
Khamenei's new public appearance comes a day after Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that the US won't allow Iran to restart its nuclear program.
'If they did start, there'd be a problem. We wouldn't allow that to happen,' Trump said Friday.
Trump said he would discuss the previous strikes with Netanyahu, who is due to visit Washington on Monday.
The comments echo remarks made earlier on Friday by Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, who said his country must maintain 'aerial superiority' over Iran to ensure it cannot rebuild its nuclear or missile production programs.
Trump reiterated his claim that Iran wants to meet with the US for talks, a statement Iranian officials have repeatedly denied.
The Trump administration has discussed possibly helping Iran access as much as $30 billion to build a nuclear program for civilian energy production, easing sanctions, and freeing up billions of dollars in restricted Iranian funds – all part of an intensifying attempt to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table, four sources familiar with the matter said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Black America Web
9 minutes ago
- Black America Web
DOGE Cuts Kill Georgia Internet Access Program For Black People
Source: justocker / Getty Several federal grants designed to expand internet access for rural and Black communities as well as help fund several non-profits focused on Black healthcare in Georgia were cut as part of the DOGE endeavor earlier this year. According to The Current, the Digital Equity Capacity Program was a federal grant intended to address the digital divide and provide high-speed internet access to rural and low-income communities, with $22 million set aside specifically for Georgia. The grant was abruptly canceled earlier this year by the Department of Commerce after Trump saw the word 'equity' and immediately labeled it 'a racist and illegal $2.5 billion giveaway,' on Truth Social. The grants weren't only designed to help Black and brown communities; seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and low-income families would have also received assistance to help catch up with the digital age. Georgia had a whole, 466-page plan outlining how they would spend the money. It would improve cell tower service across the state as well as provide access to fiber optic internet in rural communities such as McIntosh County. A third of McIntosh's population is Black and the county has a median income of $50,000, which is $25k less than the state at large. The plan would also expand telehealth services to those rural and low-income communities, as well as upgrade digital literacy to help identify cyber and telephone scammers. Speaking as a man with a Black grandmother, I know firsthand that our elders are especially susceptible to misinformation and scammers. With scammers getting more sophisticated and more robust, this is information that would help protect some of our most vulnerable. Source: Lacheev / Getty The Georgia DOGE cuts didn't stop at digital equity, they also targeted the Georgia Department of Public Health and various grants that would help improve the lives of Georgia's Black population. The Georgia-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lost $334 million in funding due to federal funding cuts earlier this year. As a result, several non-profits focused on Black health in Georgia have lost funding. The Center for Black Women's Wellness lost $438,000 as a result of the DOGE cuts. BLKHLTH Inc., a non-profit focused on vaccine equity in Georgia's Black community, said they would lose nearly $500,000. 'We are a small nonprofit and this was a million-dollar reimbursable grant, so that was a large percentage of our anticipated budget for the year,' BLKHLTH co-founder Kadijah Ameen told GPB. One of the most notable, and dangerous, funding cuts revolves around HIV/AIDS research and prevention. The Trump administration has already tried to withhold congressionally approved funding for nonprofits focused on HIV research and sexual health within the LGBTQ community. Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' cuts funding for HIV research, surveillance, and prevention efforts. Federal funding cuts to HIV research and prevention efforts would especially hit Georgia's Black population. Black people are only 31 percent of Georgia's population, yet make up 67 percent of new HIV diagnoses in the state. There's a lot of noise (for good reason) about the various atrocities and absurdities committed by the Trump administration on a daily basis. Yet the most insidious evil of the current administration is the way it has managed to weaponize the dollar to cause undue harm to Black, brown, and most vulnerable communities. SEE ALSO: Are DOGE's Massive Layoffs Hurting Black Workers? The Great White Heist: Trump's Plan to Bankrupt America SEE ALSO DOGE Cuts Kill Georgia Internet Access Program For Black People was originally published on
Wall Street Journal
14 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Houthis Attack Ship in Red Sea for First Time Since Trump Announced a Truce
TEL AVIV—A crew in the Red Sea was forced to abandon ship after it was hit by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Sunday, the first attack of its kind since President Trump announced a truce in May after he said the group promised to stop attacking Middle Eastern waterways. The Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Seas had taken on water after being hit by gunfire with small arms and self-propelled grenades near the Houthi-controlled port city of Hodeidah in the Red Sea, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a British Navy task force that monitors shipping in the Middle East.
Washington Post
15 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Trump administration's push to deport student activists goes on trial
BOSTON — The Trump administration's attempts to deport international students and scholars involved in pro-Palestinian advocacy are unconstitutional, lawyers argued Monday during the opening of one of the first federal trials challenging the president's broad immigration policies. Lawyers for a college faculty union told a federal judge in Boston that the government's push to arrest and remove noncitizen students and faculty based on their political beliefs was an infringement on the freedom of speech. The Trump administration has undertaken an unlawful coordinated policy to target those noncitizens, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs argued Monday.
