Khamenei Declares Iran Will Not Yield to Washington
Iran's Supreme Leader stated that after a "harsh military defeat," enemies now seek to divide Iran internally. He called for national unity, identified the US goal as making Iran "obedient", and dismissed negotiation with US; he also praised Yemen's actions against the "most hated Zionist regime."
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared on Sunday that the enemies of Iran, having endured a "harsh defeat in military attacks," now understand that the nation cannot be subdued by war and are instead pursuing their goal by attempting to "create division in the country." In a major address reported by Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), he called on all Iranians to preserve and strengthen the "steel shield of the sacred and great national unity" against this new strategy.
Speaking to thousands of people from various walks of life on the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Reza, Ayatollah Khamenei, as cited by IRNA, emphasized that the "steadfastness and powerful unity of the nation, officials, and armed forces" during the recent conflict had delivered a clear message.
"The enemies of Iran have understood... that the Iranian nation and the Islamic system cannot be brought to their knees and made subservient through war," he stated. "Therefore, they are now pursuing this goal by 'creating division in the country,' against which all people, officials, and owners of pen and word must, with all their being, preserve and strengthen the steel shield of the sacred and great national unity."
Iran's Supreme Leader also stressed that "everyone should support the servants of the country, especially the hard-working President [Masoud Pezeshkian]."
A significant portion of his speech, according to the IRNA report, was dedicated to what he described as the fundamental reason for American enmity toward Iran.
Posing the question himself, he described it as complex, noting that for 45 years, successive American administrations from various parties have maintained the same hostility. In the past, he argued, they concealed their true motive under pretexts such as terrorism, human rights, and democracy, issues of women or by saying they wanted Iran's "behavior to change."
Ayatollah Khamenei asserted that the current American leader [U.S. President Donald Trump] has "exposed the matter" and "clarified the real goal." He told the gathering, "He said, 'Our confrontation with Iran, with the Iranian nation, is so that Iran will be obedient to America.'"
Iran's Supreme Leader stressed the importance of this point, stating, "Meaning, a government, a power has emerged in the world that has this expectation of Iran—Iran with this history, Iran with this dignity, Iran with this nation—that this country, this history, this great nation, with all its glories, should be obedient to it; these enmities are because of this."
Based on this premise, he dismissed calls for direct negotiations with Washington.
As reported by IRNA, he emphasized, "The Iranian nation is deeply offended by such a great insult and stands with all its power against the person and people who have such a wrong expectation of the Iranian nation; those who say why don't you have direct negotiations with America and solve the issues are shortsighted."
The Supreme Leader then recounted a specific incident to illustrate what he characterized as the enemy's miscalculation during the recent conflict.
According to IRNA, he said that on June 14, one day after Iran was attacked, "a group of American agents sat in a European capital and started discussing a replacement for the Islamic Republic."
He added, "They were so confident that this attack would shake the foundation of the Islamic Republic in the country, they were confident that it would turn the people against the Islamic Republic." He stated that they were so sure of this outcome that "they even appointed a king, they appointed a shah, so-and-so should become the king of Iran." In response, the Commander-in-Chief stressed, "The Iranian nation, by standing by its armed forces, by the government, by the system, delivered a strong blow to the mouths of all of them."
He added, "Among this foolish group that sat down to find a replacement for the Islamic Republic in Iran, there was also an Iranian. Shame on that Iranian!"
Ayatollah Khamenei then returned to his central warning about the enemy's post-war strategy.
"Everyone be careful! The enemy's design after their defeat in the 12-day war is to create multiple voices and break the unity," he said, according to IRNA. He clarified that while different opinions and new ideas are not a problem, "the foundations and principles of the revolution should not be undermined." He gave his "definite recommendation" that the "steel shield of people's hearts and people's wills... should not be damaged."
In another part of his speech, the Supreme Leader directed his focus to the "Zionist regime," which he described as "the most hated regime in the world today." He stated that nations and even some governments now condemn it. However, he dismissed verbal condemnation from Western governments as insufficient.
"The crime that the heads of the Zionist government are committing today is, in my opinion, unprecedented in history. To kill children with hunger and thirst, to murder children with thirst and hunger," he asserted, as conveyed by IRNA.
"Children who came to a place to get food, they opened fire on them. This is, as far as I know from history, an unprecedented thing in the world." He argued that standing up to this requires more than words. "The path of providing aid to the Zionist regime must be closed," he stated.
In this context, Ayatollah Khamenei explicitly praised the actions of Yemen. "What the brave people of Yemen are doing today is the right thing, that is the right thing," he said. He concluded by describing the "Zionist regime" as a "deep, deadly cancer" and affirmed that the Islamic Republic is "fully prepared for any work that is possible" to confront it.
