Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei claimed on the 26th (local time) that Iran has emerged victorious against the United States and Israel. This assertion comes after Iran and Israel reached a sudden agreement to cease hostilities for 12 days at the behest of U.S. President Donald Trump on the 24th.
Khamenei stated on that day via the official platform X (formerly Twitter), “I congratulate the great nation of Iran for its victory over the Zionist fake regime (Israel).”
He added, “I also congratulate Iran for its victory over the U.S. regime,” and noted, “The United States, thinking that the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed if they did not intervene, directly entered the war but achieved nothing, and Iran dealt a tremendous humiliation to the U.S.”
Iranian media reported that Khamenei had also released a video statement with the same content.
Khamenei is known to have refrained from public activities during the conflict with Israel. Foreign media speculate that he has taken refuge in an underground bunker due to assassination fears.