‘You will fail too’: Khamenei mocks Trump for claims of 47 years of inability to eliminate Iran
"For 47 years, America has been unable to eliminate the Islamic Republic." Addressing a gathering on February 17, 2026, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei mocked President Trump’s regime-change rhetoric, warning that the "strongest military" can still be struck down.
Trump touts ‘strongest military’; Khamenei warns US
War of words between the US and Iran began way before the second round of talks to negotiate a deal. Donald Trump went all gun blazing at Tehran, moving aircraft carriers to the Middle East as a statement ahead of the talks mediated by Oman, which concluded on Tuesday (Feb 17) in Geneva. Iran’s Supreme leader Ali Khamenei, in response, said, “The US president keeps saying that they have the strongest military force in the world. The strongest military force in the world may at times be struck so hard that it cannot get up again.”
Khamenei decodes nuclear deal
And the US said Iran should be ready to face consequences if the negotiations failed, Khamenei said, “The Americans say, ‘let's negotiate over your nuclear energy, and the result of the negotiation is supposed to be that you do not have this energy!'”
To which he added, “If that’s the case, there is no room for negotiation; but if negotiations are truly to take place, determining the outcome of the negotiations in advance is a wrong and foolish act.”
'Nuclear energy is our undeniable right': Khamenei
The supreme leader explains, “The fact that nuclear energy is our undeniable right has been also included in the guidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency. That is, all countries have the right to own nuclear and enrichment installations. This is among a nation’s rights. Why does the US interfere?!”
“Peaceful nuclear industry is not for war; it is for running the country—for agriculture, for treatment and healthcare, and for everything that depends on energy. This is among the nation’s rights. What does it have to do with you Americans?” he added.
Khamenei questions Trump
Responding to US threats, Khamenei said, “A sign of the decline of the corrupt, oppressive US empire is its irrationality, such as interfering in our country’s internal affairs.”
“They say, limit your missiles to this range,” he added. But he further goes on to enquire, “What’s that to do with you (US)? Without deterrent weaponry, a country will be crushed by the enemy.”
'For 7 years US has unable to eliminate Iran'
As the second round of talks between the US and Iran was underway in Geneva, Supreme leader Ali Khamenei highlighted America’s rhetoric; he said, "…for 47 years, the United States hasn't been able to eliminate the Islamic Republic. That is a good confession. I say, “ You, too, will not be able to do this.”
He added, “The Americans constantly say that they’ve sent a warship toward Iran. Of course, a warship is a dangerous piece of military hardware. However, more dangerous than that warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea.”
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