Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has dismissed US President Donald Trump’s claims about the effectiveness of recent American military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, accusing him of grossly exaggerating the outcome.
“The American president exaggerated the events in unusual ways, and it became clear he needed that exaggeration,” Khamenei stated in a message shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday.
“Anyone who heard those remarks knew that another reality lay beneath them. They failed to achieve anything and used exaggeration to mask the truth,” he added.
Khamenei’s remarks followed Trump’s comments during an interview with Fox News, in which the former US president claimed, “We went in. We destroyed their nuclear capability, and we stopped. It was a beautiful thing. And they couldn’t have gone on much further… That was a very intense 12 days — very, very intense.”
However, reports, including intercepted Iranian communications cited by TRT Global, suggest the damage from the US strikes was limited.
The conflict escalated dramatically on June 13, when Israel launched a wave of air strikes targeting Iranian military, nuclear, and civilian infrastructure. According to Iran’s Health Ministry, the attacks killed at least 606 people and injured more than 5,300.
In response, Tehran launched missile and drone strikes against Israel, resulting in at least 29 deaths and over 3,400 injuries, according to data from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Amid the rising tensions, the United States carried out airstrikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
The hostilities eventually ceased following a US-brokered ceasefire that came into effect on June 24.
