By Gloria Ogbonna
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has declared that “the Iranian nation defeated the United States,” launching a direct rhetorical attack on President Donald Trump and accusing him of responsibility for bloodshed and unrest inside Iran.
In a series of posts shared over the weekend on social media and state-linked platforms, Khamenei insisted that America has lost its influence over Iran and must now be “held accountable.”
Khamenei accused President Trump personally of orchestrating what he described as a U.S.-backed “sedition” against the Islamic Republic. “We find the U.S. President guilty due to the casualties, damages, and slander he inflicted upon the Iranian nation,” he wrote, claiming that Washington has failed in its long-standing effort to dominate Iran.
He further asserted that since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the United States has steadily lost power over Tehran and that the Iranian people had delivered a decisive blow to American influence.
The Supreme Leader’s remarks reflect a sharp escalation in anti-American rhetoric, as Iranian officials attempt to project strength amid growing internal turmoil.
His comments followed similar statements from senior regime figures who have openly threatened the United States and President Trump.
Last week, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that Iran would teach what he called the “arrogant” and “delusional” U.S. president a lesson “that will never be forgotten,” vowing that American forces would be “burned by the fire of Iran’s defenders.”
Around the same time, regime ideologue Hassan Rahimpour Azghadi appeared on state television, launching an incendiary tirade in which he insulted President Trump and suggested that violent attacks against U.S. targets could be justified on legal and religious grounds.
We find the US President guilty due to the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted upon the Iranian nation.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) January 17, 2026
Azghadi’s prominent role within Iran’s Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, and his access to national television, underscored how threats against the United States and its president have become normalized within the regime’s messaging.
The renewed threats come as Iran faces nearly three weeks of widespread anti-government protests driven by economic collapse and political repression.
From the beginning of the Islamic Revolution until today, the US has lost its dominance over Iran.
And they want to bring Iran under their military, political & economic domination again. This isn’t [solely] related to the current US president either! It’s a general US policy.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) January 17, 2026
Authorities have responded by cutting communications, carrying out mass arrests, and using deadly force against demonstrators actions that echo red lines President Trump has repeatedly warned could trigger a U.S. response.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to Trump:
Come and see how we will destroy all your positions in the region.
Come and see how defenders of Iran will burn you into America’s history.
Delusional Trump, do not believe the lies they tell you. Don’t believe… pic.twitter.com/Ssfpce6OMk
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) January 12, 2026
President Trump has publicly voiced support for Iranian protesters, writing last week that Iran is “looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,” and warning that the regime’s actions are being closely monitored.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Friday warned US President Donald Trump that he would be brought down, as he spoke about protests and accused foreign-backed forces of trying to destabilize Iran. pic.twitter.com/TzUagsqLFm
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) January 9, 2026
On Sunday, speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump responded to Tehran’s threats by saying the U.S. military was reviewing “very strong options,” adding that any attack would be met with force “at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”
.@POTUS on Iran: "We're looking at some very strong options… I'm getting an hourly report, and we're going to make a determination very soon." pic.twitter.com/XnDOCZSMpv
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 12, 2026
Iranian officials have dismissed those warnings. Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, brushed off Trump’s statements during pro-regime demonstrations in Tehran, saying the president “talks too much” and should not be taken seriously.
He claimed large crowds showed Iranians were ready to confront both the United States and Israel.
Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, was asked during today’s pro-regime demonstrations in Tehran about threats made by U.S. President Donald J. Trump, to which he replied, “Trump talks too much, don't take him seriously. The overwhelming… pic.twitter.com/twsarPIdEE
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 12, 2026
Meanwhile, hardline cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami has called for the execution of protesters and issued threats against both President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Iran:
What we are now seeing is the rats fleeing the ship.
We can see millions, tens of millions of dollars being wired out of the country, smuggled out by the Iranian leadership.
They are abandoning ship, we are seeing this happen. pic.twitter.com/UuRvXaGs98
— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 15, 2026
As rhetoric intensifies, Washington has paired its warnings with action. The Trump administration has announced new sanctions targeting senior Iranian officials and financial networks, while the Pentagon has redeployed the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to the Middle East, signaling that U.S. pressure on Iran is escalating across diplomatic, economic, and military fronts.
Source Breitbrat
Original article
Comments