Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused U.S. President Donald Trump of dishonesty on Saturday, following Trump’s remarks during his Gulf tour about pursuing peace in the region.
Khamenei rejected Trump’s claims, asserting that the U.S. contributes to violence by supplying “10-ton bombs” to Israel, which he accused of targeting Palestinian children in Gaza. In a speech at a Tehran religious center, Khamenei said, “The source of corruption, war, and conflict in this region is the Zionist regime—a dangerous, deadly cancerous tumor that must be uprooted; it will be uprooted.”
Trump’s statement came on Friday, where he warned Iran that it must act swiftly on a U.S. proposal regarding its nuclear program or face severe consequences. Khamenei dismissed these remarks, calling them “an embarrassment to the speaker and the American people” and claimed that they were not worth responding to.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also criticized Trump, questioning his contradictory statements. “On one hand, he speaks of peace, and on the other, he threatens with the most advanced tools of mass killing,” Pezeshkian said during a naval event in Tehran. He reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to nuclear negotiations, adding, “We are not seeking war.”
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi clarified in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that Iran had not received any U.S. proposal concerning its nuclear program. Araqchi reiterated Iran’s stance, stating, “There is no scenario in which Iran abandons its hard-earned right to uranium enrichment for peaceful purposes.”
He further criticized the U.S. for repeatedly changing its negotiating framework, which he claimed was prolonging the talks. “It is absolutely unacceptable that America defines a new framework for negotiations that drags out the process,” Araqchi said.
Pezeshkian emphasized that Iran would continue to uphold its “legitimate rights” and would not bow to U.S. pressure. “Because we refuse to bow to bullying, they say we are the source of instability in the region,” he stated.
The latest round of Iran-U.S. nuclear talks ended last Sunday in Oman, with no new discussions scheduled at this time.