President Donald Trump posted a screed directed at Iran’s supreme leader, suggesting that he should be expressing gratitude to Trump for “sav[ing] him from a very ugly and ignominious death.”
In a 324-word Truth Social post railing against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s statement claiming an Iranian “victory over the U.S. regime,” Trump began by calling that statement a “lie.”
![Khamenei said the U.S. "entered the war in an effort to save that [Zionist] regime but achieved nothing.”](https://www.thedailybeast.com/resizer/v2/RVTXABI4NFETRBZMCNXUJ4TTKU.JPG?auth=5c5cca0314f658d56e674512872de2e7821b91e93c8435d3a039aa8dd9030f96&width=800&height=450)
“His Country was decimated, his three evil Nuclear Sites were OBLITERATED, and I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life,” Trump wrote, reiterating his claim that the country’s nuclear sites were “obliterated” by U.S. bombers last weekend despite a preliminary Pentagon assessment showing less severe damage.
“I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH, and he does not have to say, ‘THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!’” continued the president, who has made veiled threats against Khamenei before, saying he knows where he is “hiding.”
“In fact, in the final act of the War, I demanded that Israel bring back a very large group of planes, which were heading directly to Tehran, looking for a big day, perhaps the final knockout!” Trump claimed.
Trump added that, until Khamenei’s statement, he had been working at ways to give “a much better chance to Iran at a full, fast, and complete recovery.” Ideas to get the country to resume nuclear negotiating reportedly involved lifting sanctions and investing $20 billion to $30 billion in a civilian non-enrichment nuclear program (though Trump has since denied that latter claim).
“But no,” Trump grumbled. “Instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more.”
That strategy won’t work out well for the country, he said.
“I wish the leadership of Iran would realize that you often get more with HONEY than you do with VINEGAR,” he wrote. “PEACE!!!”
