“The Islamic Republic delivered a heavy slap to the U.S.’s face. It attacked and inflicted damage on the Al-Udeid Air Base, which is one of the key U.S bases in the region,” said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a Thursday X post.
His post followed the U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend, as well as a cease-fire deal announced by President Donald Trump Monday. These actions are the latest developments related to increasing tensions in the Middle East since the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
While Khamenei claimed to have delivered a “heavy slap” to the U.S. with its attack on the air base in Qatar, CBS News noted that “none of the roughly dozen missiles Iran fired at the sprawling base hit it.” He also tried to downplay the damage inflicted by the U.S. strikes, CBS said that intelligence officials said Wednesday that the attacks set Iran’s nuclear program back by “years,” something that has been corroborated by Israel. Analysis from the International Atomic Energy Agency also indicates that Israeli and U.S. strikes in Iran have caused significant damage to its nuclear sites.
“Last weekend, the United States successfully carried out a massive precision strike on Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities, and it was very, very successful – It was called OBLITERATION,” said Trump in a Truth Social post this week. “This incredible exercise of American strength has paved the way for peace, with a historic ceasefire agreement…”
Since the 1979 revolution in Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has answered directly to the nation’s Supreme Leader, which is currently Khamenei. Per the Council on Foreign Relations, the IRGC supports militant groups in Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Syria, and Yemen.
“Palestine is a central issue to us, and the victory of Palestinians is something that’s definite,” said Khamenei in a June 21 X post.
After the 2023 Hamas attack, Israel declared war on Hamas in Gaza. Along with the U.S. – a longtime ally of Israel – they have also fought other Iran-backed groups in the region, including Lebanon-based Hezbollah and the Houthis, based in Yemen. Earlier this month, Israel attacked Iran, followed by the U.S. joining in.
“The fact that the Islamic Republic has access to key U.S. centers in the region and can take action whenever it deems necessary is a significant matter,” said Khamenei in another Thursday X post. “Such an action can be repeated in the future too. Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price.”
He also said: “The US President stated, ‘Iran must surrender.’ Needless to say, this statement is too big to come out of the U.S. president’s mouth.”
Again, CBS News noted that the Iranian leader’s “remarks on Thursday were heavy on rhetorical flourish and virtually devoid of any facts, and they may have been aimed more at Iran’s people than the wider world.” According to the outlet, 12 days of missile launches from Iran “saw relatively few rockets evade Israel’s air defenses,” with a total of 28 people killed, believed to all be civilians. Meanwhile, Israel’s strikes reportedly killed at least 30 military commanders and U.S.-based group Human Rights Activists in Iran said the strikes had killed at least 1,054 people in Iran, including a total of 318 military personnel.
CBS added that younger, tech-savvy Iranians are not as easy to keep under tight control by the nation’s theocratic rulers as they have been in decades past. In fact, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even encouraged young people in Iran to stage anti-government protests.
In a further complication, Netanyahu is facing a corruption trial in Israel. Trump defended him this week in an impassioned social media post.
“I was shocked to hear that the State of Israel, which has just had one of its Greatest Moments in History, and is strongly led by Bibi Netanyahu, is continuing its ridiculous Witch Hunt against their Great War Time Prime Minister! Bibi and I just went through HELL together, fighting a very tough and brilliant longtime enemy of Israel, Iran, and Bibi could not have been better, sharper, or stronger in his LOVE for the incredible Holy Land,” said Trump.
Khamenei also issued a video address Thursday in addition to his X posts, though he has not been seen in public since the ceasefire. Imtiaz Tyab, a CBS News correspondent sent to Tehran this week, said most businesses there remained shut Thursday and that there was a sense of nervousness there.