Khamenei Rejects Trump's Claims After June Strikes

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rebuffed President Donald Trump’s claims that U.S. and Israeli strikes in mid‑June “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites, telling Trump to “keep dreaming” and rejecting renewed talks framed by coercion. Khamenei said Washington has no right to dictate Iran’s nuclear program, called Trump’s Knesset speech and media boasts bullying and empty bravado, and praised Iran’s youth and athletes as symbols of national resilience. The mid‑June strikes, in which U.S. forces briefly joined Israel, struck facilities at Isfahan, Fordow and Natanz; assessments of the damage differ. The Pentagon said the attacks set Iran’s program back roughly one to two years, while other U.S. intelligence reporting and the IAEA described more limited damage and noted Iran still holds significant quantities of enriched uranium. The attacks occurred days before a planned round of nuclear talks and have since derailed negotiations between Tehran and Washington; Iran says it will only resume talks if the U.S. guarantees no further military action. Khamenei also dismissed Trump’s Gaza peace efforts as hollow.