Iran’s Khamenei fights back as Trump’s nuclear boast sparks new feud

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that America destroyed Iran’s nuclear sites.

In a message on his official website, Khamenei told Trump to “keep dreaming” and questioned why the U.S. president thinks he has the right to decide what another country can or cannot do with its nuclear program.

Back in June, Israel launched heavy airstrikes on Iran, and the U.S. briefly joined in, hitting several nuclear facilities.

Speaking recently at the Israeli Knesset, Trump said the U.S. dropped 14 bombs that “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites.

He repeated the same claim on Fox News, calling the operation “the most beautiful military strike,” and said Iran was no longer “the bully of the Middle East.”

However, the real damage from the strikes is still unclear. The Pentagon said Iran’s nuclear program was only delayed by one to two years, while a U.S. intelligence report suggested the setback lasted just a few months.

Khamenei described Trump’s comments as “improper, wrong, and bullying.”

The June attacks happened just before a planned round of nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S.

Those talks have since stopped. Iran now says it will only return to negotiations if the U.S. guarantees it will not use military force again.