The Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave a victory speech on Thursday. It was his first message to the Iranian people since the American bombings last weekend and the subsequent ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
In the video, which was previously recorded at an unknown location, Khamenei claims victory over Israel. He declares that the United States interfered with the war “because they felt that the Zionist regime would otherwise be completely destroyed”.
Khamenei states that “Trump has revealed the truth”: according to the Ayatollah, the American president is only satisfied with Iran’s surrender. According to Khamenei, “such a thing will never happen”. Regarding the Iranian nuclear program, Khamenei only says that the damage after the American attacks is limited.
There is still much uncertainty about that nuclear program. It is possible that Iran secured the enriched nuclear material even before the bombings, and it is not clear how great the damage to the facilities is.
Following American intelligence services, European governments also have preliminary indications that the nuclear stockpile has been moved to various locations and has largely remained intact, reports Financial Times based on anonymous officials.
The role of Ayatollah Kamenei
The 86-year-old Khamenei has been the supreme spiritual leader of Iran and commander-in-chief of the army for 36 years. The Ayatollah is above the president and is responsible for appointing important positions within the country. He succeeded Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989. Khomeini was the architect of the Iranian revolution in 1979.
Earlier, The New York Times and CNN reported on a leaked report from the Pentagon’s intelligence branch (DIA), which also suggests that little uranium has been lost. Although that message is also about preliminary findings.
The New York Times also reported that there are doubts within the Israeli army about the damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities. The Israelis also believe that Iran has smaller secret facilities for the nuclear material – where work can be continued on the program in the event of an attack on the large facilities.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday he was not aware of information about the transfer of nuclear material. He added that “journalists refuse to write how successful the attacks were”. According to him, journalists dislike Donald Trump.
Trump stands by earlier statements
Hegseth further referred to the head of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, who said on Wednesday that it appears that “important Iranian nuclear facilities have been destroyed and will have to be rebuilt in the coming years”. Ratcliffe did emphasize that the investigation is still ongoing. The earlier DIA report suggested that the Iranian program had only been delayed by a few months.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stated on Thursday that the damage to Iranian nuclear facilities is extensive, but that claims of complete destruction are exaggerated. Trump previously reported the “total destruction” of the Iranian nuclear program.
Trump does not believe that Iran has secured uranium. He wrote on his social media platform Truth Social on Thursday that “nothing has been taken out of the facilities”. According to the president, it would “take too long, be too dangerous and too difficult to move”.
He also launched an online attack on the American journalists who brought the DIA report. According to him, there are “rumors that the journalists from CNN and New York Times who brought fake news about the Iranian nuclear facilities are being fired”.