The ceasefire between Israel and Iran hasn’t kept Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from criticizing President Donald Trump on X.
“The U.S. president claimed, ‘Iran must surrender.’ It goes without saying, this claim is too grand to be expressed by the U.S. president,” Khamenei commented.
On June 17, days before the U.S. launched attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites, Trump posted on Truth Social calling for Tehran’s “unconditional surrender.” In another post the same day, Trump asserted that the U.S. had “complete and total control of the skies over Iran.”
Trump also took a swipe at Khamenei himself, saying that the U.S. knew where the Iranian leader was hiding.
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding,” Trump wrote. “He is an easy target, but is safe there — we are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a televised message, after the ceasefire between Iran and Israel, in Tehran, Iran, Jun. 26, 2025. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters)
Since Israel launched its operation against Iran, Khamenei has been in hiding and, according to Reuters, his family is being guarded by the Vali-ye Amr special forces unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. Some believed — and even hoped — that the end of the nuclear program would also mean the end of the Islamic Republic’s rule; however, reports of an internal security crackdown have made the possibility of regime change seem less likely.
President Donald Trump is shown in the Situation Room next to an image of the damage done to Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility on Jun. 21, 2025. (The White House; Maxar Technologies via Reuters)
The regime is reportedly carrying out mass arrests and executions. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said Monday that 705 individuals had been arrested in Iran on “political or security-related charges.” Many of the charges involve allegations of espionage on behalf of Israel.
Three people have reportedly already been executed for allegedly spying on behalf of the Mossad, Israel’s equivalent of the CIA, NBC News reported, citing Tasnim, which is affiliated with the IRGC.
