Iran slams Trump's 'ugly and ignominious death' remark on Khamenei, says Israel had to ‘run to daddy’

Iran on Saturday (Jun 28) sharply rebuked US President Donald Trump for his "disrespectful and unacceptable" remarks about Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The condemnation comes as Trump, in a social media post, claimed that he had saved Khamenei from being assassinated—only to be met, in his view, with "ingratitude". Trump's latest comments, posted on his Truth Social platform, sparked fury in Tehran. He claimed he knew the exact location of Khamenei during the US strikes and had prevented both Israeli and US forces from taking lethal action against the Iranian supreme leader.

"I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH," Trump wrote in all caps, adding that Khamenei "does not have to say, 'THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!'."

“But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more,” Trump added, exhorting Iran to return to the negotiating table.

Araghchi slams Trump

Slamming Trump, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on X said that if the President of the United States (POTUS) was "genuine" about wanting a deal, he should "put aside" his "disrespectful and unacceptable tone".

"If President Trump is genuine about wanting a deal, he should put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran's Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, and stop hurting his millions of heartfelt supporters," he posted on his X account. Referring to the recent escalations in the region, the Iranian minister said that "The proud and resilient people of Iran," who forced the Israeli regime to "RUN to 'Daddy' to avoid being flattened" by Iranian missiles "do not take kindly to Threats and Insults".

Soaring tensions

Tensions have been soaring since the US joined Israel in coordinated airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities last weekend, marking a dramatic turn in the 12-day conflict that began on June 13. While the effectiveness of the strikes remains disputed, they mark the most direct American military action against Iran's nuclear infrastructure in years.