Trump says he stopped Israel killing Khamenei, held off on removing Iran sanctions after Khamenei’s victory speech

US President Donald Trump claims he reversed plans to remove sanctions against Iran after the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei gave a speech yesterday declaring that Trump had “exaggerated” the impact of strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, while threatening to repeat the “slap” Tehran had dealt American forces in the region.

“During the last few days, I was working on the possible removal of sanctions, and other things, which would have given a much better chance to Iran at a full, fast, and complete recovery,” Trump writes on Truth Social.

“But instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief and more,” he adds, blasting Khamenei for his “blatant and foolish” statement.

“As a man of great faith, he is not supposed to lie,” Trump says, reiterating his insistence that Iran’s nuclear sites were “obliterated” in the US strikes on Sunday.

Trump says he “knew exactly” where Khamenei was hiding during the war and didn’t let Israel or the US army kill him.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said yesterday that Israel didn’t kill Khamenei because it didn’t know where underground he was hiding.

“I saved him from a very ugly and ignominious death,” Trump says, while also highlighting that he ordered Israel to turn planes around that were planning to strike Iran significantly in response to missile fire launched by Tehran after the ceasefire went into place.

“It was going to be the biggest attack of the war by far,” Trump says.

“Iran has to get back into the world order flow, or things will only get worse for them,” he warns.

“They are always so angry, hostile and unhappy, and look at what it has gotten them: A burned out, blown up country, with no future, a decimated military, a horrible economy and death all around them,” Trump continues.

“They have no hope, and it will only get worse! I wish the leadership of Iran would realize that you often get more with honey than you do with vinegar,” he adds.