Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attended a religious gathering on Saturday, according to Iranian state media outlet Press TV, the first time he has appeared in public in several weeks. <\/p>\n
Khamenei had not made a public appearance since his country was plunged into conflict on June 13, when Israel unilaterally bombed Iranian military and nuclear sites. The US later joined in, bombing three key Iranian nuclear sites before US President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire. <\/p>\n
In video posted by Press TV on X, Khamenei waves to a crowd of black-clad worshippers marking the eve of Ashura, when Shia Muslims commemorate and mourn the death of the Prophet Muhammad\u2019s grandson Husayn ibn Ali. The crowd greeted the cleric in turn with cheers and chants. <\/p>\n
Khamenei, the longest-ruling leader in the Middle East, reportedly spent the 12-day conflict with Israel and the US hiding in a bunker with little access to outside communications. During the conflict, both Israeli politicians and Trump openly discussed overthrowing Khamenei\u2019s government and deposing him by force. <\/p>\n
After reportedly rejecting an Israeli plan to kill Khamenei, Trump stated in late June that the cleric was an \u201ceasy target.\u201d Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not rule out targeting Khamenei either, saying that his death would \u201cnot \u2026 escalate the conflict,\u201d but rather \u201cend\u201d it. <\/p>\n
In a recorded statement posted from an undisclosed location days after the ceasefire began, Khamenei was defiant, declaring victory over both Israel and the US. Khamenei took time to respond directly to US President Donald Trump, who had called for Iran\u2019s \u201cunconditional surrender\u201d shortly before ordering US airstrikes. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis (conflict) is not about our nuclear program,\u201d Khamenei said. \u201cThis is about Iran surrendering \u2026 in his statement, (Trump) revealed the truth, he showed his hand. The Americans have had a fundamental issue with Islamic Iran since our revolution.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it will never happen,\u201d Khamenei said of Trump\u2019s demand. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Islamic Republic had one social contract with society, which is that it deprived them of all freedoms \u2026 in return for providing security,\u201d said Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group. \u201cNow, that image has been shattered in the eyes of the Iranian people.\u201d <\/p>\n
Khamenei\u2019s new public appearance comes a day after Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that the US won\u2019t allow Iran to restart its nuclear program. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf they did start, there\u2019d be a problem. We wouldn\u2019t allow that to happen,\u201d Trump said Friday. <\/p>\n
Trump said he would discuss the previous strikes with Netanyahu, who is due to visit Washington on Monday. <\/p>\n
The comments echo remarks made earlier on Friday by Israel\u2019s defense minister, Israel Katz, who said his country must maintain \u201caerial superiority\u201d over Iran to ensure it cannot rebuild its nuclear or missile production programs. <\/p>\n
Trump reiterated his claim that Iran wants to meet with the US for talks, a statement Iranian officials have repeatedly denied. <\/p>\n
The Trump administration has discussed possibly helping Iran access as much as $30 billion to build a nuclear program for civilian energy production, easing sanctions, and freeing up billions of dollars in restricted Iranian funds \u2013 all part of an intensifying attempt to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table, four sources familiar with the matter said. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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