“The American president [Donald Trump] repeatedly says that their military is the strongest in the world. The strongest military in the world, however, can sometimes be struck so hard that it cannot even get back on its feet,” Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday while addressing thousands of people from East Azarbaijan Province.
“They keep saying, ‘We have sent an aircraft carrier toward Iran.’ Fine—an aircraft carrier is certainly a dangerous piece of equipment. But more dangerous than the carrier is the weapon capable of sending it to the bottom of the sea,” he added.
Trump’s remarks that Washington has been unable to eliminate the Islamic Republic for the past 47 years is “quite an admission,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
“For 47 years, America has failed to destroy the Islamic Republic,” he said, before addressing Trump and adding, “I say this: you will not be able to do so in the future either.”
US officials said on February 12 that the Pentagon was sending an additional aircraft carrier to the region, adding thousands more troops along with fighter aircraft and guided-missile destroyers.
“In case we don't make a deal, we'll need it,” Trump said on Friday, referring to USS Gerald R. Ford.
The military buildup comes as Iran and the US are holding indirect talks about the nuclear issue, months after the US-Israeli aggression on Iranian soil and attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities.
Observers say Trump is using the military threat as leverage in talks to gain concessions from Tehran. However, Iranian officials have highlighted Tehran’s readiness for both diplomacy and war, warning that any attack on Iran would ignite a regional war.
On Sunday, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi warned Trump over his war rhetoric.
“Trump should know that he would be entering a confrontation that gives harsh lessons, the outcome of which would ensure that he no longer bellows threats around the world,” he said.
‘Foolish to predetermine outcome of talks’
Elsewhere in his address, Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the ongoing indirect talks between Tehran and Washington.
“These remarks the US president makes—at times issuing threats, at times saying this must be done or that must not be done—show that they are seeking to dominate the Iranian nation,” he said.
“They say, ‘Let us negotiate over your nuclear energy,’ and the outcome of the negotiation should be that you no longer possess this energy,” he said, adding, “To predetermine the outcome before talks even begin is wrong and foolish.”
“This is precisely the foolish approach being taken by American presidents, certain senators, the current president, and others,” he added.
Iranian people, however, “know their Islamic and Shi’i teachings well,” the Leader said, before quoting Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), “Someone like me would never pledge allegiance to someone like Yazid.”
“In reality, the Iranian nation is saying the same: a people with this culture, this history, these lofty values, will never pledge allegiance to corrupt figures like those currently in power in the United States,” he said.
Iran in a state of mourning
Elsewhere, Ayatollah Khamenei said the nation is grieving after recent foreign-backed riots, which left thousands of people dead, stressing, “We are in mourning for the blood that was shed.”
He divided the victims into three groups. The first, he said, were security and health defenders — police, Basij, Revolutionary Guard members and others — whom he described as “among the highest martyrs.”
The second group included bystanders killed during the turmoil. “They, too, are martyrs,” he said, noting they died amid “the enemy’s sedition.”
The third group, the Leader said, were those who were misled into joining the riots. Calling them “our own children,” he said some had written to him expressing regret. Authorities, he noted, have also recognized those killed among them as martyrs.
Apart from ringleaders backed by foreign enemies, Ayatollah Khamenei said all others deserve prayers and forgiveness.
Foreign-backed armed rioters and terrorists hijacked peaceful, sporadic protests over economic grievances on January 8 and 9.
The violence, encouraged openly by the US and the Israeli regime, resulted in extensive damage to public and private property, with widespread destruction of shops, government institutions, public service facilities, and the killing of hundreds of civilians and security forces.
Iranian authorities have confirmed that American and Israeli spy agencies were directly involved, providing funding, training, and media support to rioters and armed terrorists acting on the streets.
Official Iranian records show 3,117 people were killed in the riots, including 2,427 civilians and security personnel killed by terrorists.