Iran's Khamenei Claims 'Decisive Blow' Against US and Israel, Signals Possible Peace Deal
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Thursday that Iran has dealt the US and Israel a 'decisive blow' in the Middle East war, in a statement read at a ceremony marking the anniversary of the Islamic Republic's founder's death. The claim came as the US House of Representatives passed a symbolic resolution seeking to halt American military action in Iran, and as weeks of talks have failed to secure a deal to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since being wounded in strikes that killed his father in February, called for national unity and accused enemies of seeking to sow doubt and division.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Thursday that Iran has dealt the United States and Israel a "decisive blow" in the Middle East war, in a statement read out by a prayer leader at a ceremony marking the 37th anniversary of the death of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
"I tell the dear Iranian nation that the malicious enemy ... is now experiencing a profound and meaningful humiliation, both on the military battlefield and in the public arena and it is now focused on trickery," Khamenei's statement said. He accused enemies of seeking to "plant the seeds of doubt, despair, fear, mistrust and division" among the public and called for national unity to "neutralize their sinister plot."
Khamenei has not been seen in public since being wounded in the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign on Feb. 28 that killed his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei. U.S. media reported, citing multiple Iranian officials, that he sustained serious injuries, underwent multiple surgeries and has difficulty speaking due to severe burns. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he was "likely disfigured." Iran has not confirmed the reports. Khamenei has communicated only through written statements since taking office.
The claim came as the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution 215-208 ordering the withdrawal of American troops from the Iran war, with four Republicans joining Democrats. "This is a loud and unambiguous message to Donald Trump on behalf of the American people: it's time to end his deeply unpopular and illegal war of choice in Iran," Democrats posted on X. The resolution is largely symbolic, as the U.S. president can veto it if it gains Senate approval.
President Donald Trump told reporters a deal "could happen ... over the weekend" and said in an interview with the New York Post that he would "like to meet" Khamenei. "Yeah, I'd like to meet him. I'd love to meet everybody. I would like to meet him and we probably will meet at some point, depending on how it all works out," Trump said. He also said on the Pod Force One podcast that Khamenei is involved in negotiations and that the two sides "seem to be getting along quite well."
Weeks of talks have failed to secure a deal to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit for global energy flows. A cease-fire has largely held since April, but sporadic violence continues, including U.S. strikes in Iran and an Iranian attack on Kuwait on Wednesday. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpiles are at the center of discussions. Washington insists Tehran must turn over its near-weapons-grade enriched uranium, agree to curb its nuclear activities and reopen Hormuz.
Iran has preconditioned a deal on halting the parallel conflict in Lebanon, where Israel is waging a ground invasion against the Tehran-backed armed group Hezbollah. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Wednesday that any Israeli attack on Beirut would trigger a "full-scale resumption" of the wider war. "Either the war stops in both Iran and Lebanon, or it doesn't stop neither in Iran nor in Lebanon," Araghchi said.
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War think tank estimated that "Iran and Hezbollah are continuing to try to transform negotiations about ending the war over the Strait of Hormuz into negotiations about ending the war in Lebanon." The analysis said the Iranian regime likely calculates it can preserve leverage on its nuclear program and control of the Strait of Hormuz by deflecting talks to the war in Lebanon.
Former head of Israel's military intelligence research department and Atlantic Council non-resident fellow Danny Citrinowicz warned that "we are entering a new era in which Tehran feels stronger, more secure, and increasingly confident in the credibility of its deterrence." "The result is a more assertive Iran, a more dangerous Middle East, and a growing risk that future crises will escalate faster and further than anyone anticipated," he said.