Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, has launched an aggressive attack on former President Donald Trump after the latter concluded his Middle East tour, accusing him of lying and criticizing U.S.-Israel relations. The criticism came just hours after Trump’s visit to the region, which included stops in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, where he praised the Gulf states and emphasized a need for peace in the region.
Khamenei, in a statement posted on Twitter, accused Trump of being a ‘liar’ and described the United States as a source of shame for its Middle East policies. He further called the Jewish state, America’s key ally in the region, a ‘cancerous tumor’ that must be uprooted. The ayatollah’s comments were particularly pointed, as he claimed that the U.S. has used its power to ‘massacre in Gaza, to stoke war wherever possible, and to arm its mercenaries,’ referring to the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas. Khamenei also accused Washington of using its resources to attack the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and stoke regional conflicts.
During his Middle East visit, Trump called Iran the ‘main force of instability in the Middle East,’ a statement that has been echoed by U.S. officials. The Trump administration has long designated Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism, a label that Khamenei’s regime has consistently denied. Analysts in Washington have noted that the current administration’s approach to Iran is different from Trump’s, and that the former president holds a strong position to negotiate with Iran, potentially limiting its nuclear program. In his speech, Trump emphasized that Iran must ‘abandon its drive to build an atomic bomb,’ suggesting a potential shift in U.S. strategy.
Khamenei also took aim at the Sunni Arab countries that are allies of the U.S. in the Middle East, predicting that their dependence on Washington will eventually collapse. The ayatollah claimed that the U.S. aims to promote ‘Sunni Arab dependency on Washington,’ a policy he called ‘failed.’ He suggested that American influence in the region is a temporary one, and that the U.S. will eventually leave, leaving the Arab states to fend for themselves. This assessment was echoed by Alireza Nader, a Washington-based expert on Iran, who suggested that the Iranian public is increasingly disillusioned with the regime and that Trump has the potential to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
This intense exchange comes at a particularly sensitive time in U.S.-Iran relations, with both sides engaged in a cycle of mutual accusations and condemnations. The Middle East remains a volatile region, and the statements made by both Khamenei and Trump are likely to have significant implications for future regional dynamics. As the situation continues to develop, it is clear that the relationship between the U.S. and Iran is far from stable, with the potential for further escalations and strategic shifts in the region.