Following "Israel's" abrupt declaration of a unilateral ceasefire, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, addressed the Iranian nation on Thursday to celebrate a decisive victory for the Islamic Republic over its aggressors, "Israel" and the United States.

The televised speech marked Sayyed Khamenei's third public message since "Israel" launched its unprovoked assault on Iran's nuclear infrastructure on June 13. The Leader praised the courage and capability of Iran's armed forces, as well as the resilience and unity of the Iranian people in the face of combined Israeli-American hostility.

"I feel it is necessary to extend several congratulations to the great Iranian nation. First, congratulations on the victory over the artificial Zionist regime. Despite all its noise and claims, the Zionist regime was nearly brought to its knees and crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic," Sayyed Khamenei declared.

He honored the memory of the martyrs who lost their lives in the confrontation, including high-ranking military officers and scientists, acknowledging their unwavering commitment to the Islamic cause.

Iran's precision missile strikes, which overwhelmed "Israel's" heavily fortified multi-layered defense systems and inflicted significant damage to its military and urban infrastructure, were a testament to the country's growing deterrent power.

"We thank God for aiding our armed forces, who managed to breach their advanced multilayered defense systems and flatten large parts of their military and urban centers with powerful missile and weapons strikes," the Leader said.

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that the Islamic Republic's ability to retaliate with such force came as a shock to its enemies and sent a clear message: any act of aggression will exact a heavy price.

Iran Strikes Back

He further celebrated Iran's firm response to Washington's involvement in the conflict. After the United States, under Donald Trump's leadership, launched illegal attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities in an attempt to tip the balance in favor of its Zionist ally, Iran responded with powerful retaliatory strikes.

"The US entered the war directly because it feared that if it didn't, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed," he said. "It intervened to save them but gained nothing from the war."

Iran's targeting of Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, one of America's most strategic regional military hubs, was a bold move that stunned Washington. Sayyed Khamenei condemned the US attack on nuclear sites as a war crime deserving international legal action.

"Anyone who heard his remarks could sense that behind those words lay a very different truth," he said, referring to Trump's bluster after the attack. "They failed to achieve their objectives, and they inflated their claims to conceal the reality."

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"Here, too, the Islamic Republic emerged victorious, delivering a harsh blow to the US, specifically targeting the Al-Udeid base, one of its key regional bases, and inflicting damage," he asserted.

He dismissed US attempts to downplay Iran's retaliation as propaganda, reminding the world that Iran has both the will and the means to strike American military infrastructure in the region if provoked again.

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"It is a major development and it can happen again in the future," he warned. "If aggression is repeated, the enemy will undoubtedly face a heavy cost."

National Unity

Sayyed Khamenei also praised the unwavering unity of the Iranian people throughout the confrontation, calling it a moment of national dignity.

"By God's grace, a nation of nearly 90 million stood as one, united in voice and purpose, shoulder to shoulder, without any divisions in demands or intentions," he said.

"They rallied, spoke out, supported the actions of the armed forces, and will continue to do so…. The Iranian nation proved its nobility and its remarkable, outstanding character."

Post-ceasefire, Iranians rallied in #Tehran's Palestine Square, holding #Iran's flag as they chanted, "War until victory".

Since the first day of the Israeli aggression on Iran, #Iranians have been rallying across the country in a show of unity and defiance against the Israeli… pic.twitter.com/1StHYE7lXg

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 24, 2025

The Leader rebuked Donald Trump for arrogantly declaring that "Iran must surrender," pointing to the absurdity of such a demand against a nation with centuries of history, culture, and resistance to foreign domination.

"Of course, such a statement is far too grand for the mouth of the US president," he said. "A nation like Iran, with its greatness, its history, its culture, and its national will forged in steel, to speak of surrender in reference to such a country is a joke to anyone who knows the Iranian people."

Sayyed Khamenei made clear that the Islamic Republic's struggle with US imperialism has been ongoing since the 1979 Revolution and that successive US administrations, regardless of political party, have pursued the same goal: the subjugation of Iran.

"They have clashed with us time and again, each time with a different excuse: human rights, democracy, women's rights, uranium enrichment, missile development," he said.

"But at the core, it has always been one thing: they want Iran to surrender."

Dignity Over Submission

Unlike his predecessors, Sayyed Khamenei noted, Trump openly revealed what others tried to mask: that the US seeks full capitulation, not coexistence.

"This president exposed that truth, he made clear that the Americans will only be satisfied with the total surrender of Iran, and nothing less," the Leader stated.

"The Iranian people must know: this is why we oppose America. This is the root of the hostility, and this is the great insult the Americans direct at our nation."

He concluded with a strong affirmation of Iran's independence and strength.

"To expect a country like Iran to surrender to another is sheer nonsense—and it will surely be laughed at by every wise and sensible person," he said.

"The Iranian nation is honorable, and will remain honorable. It is victorious, and, by God's grace, will continue to be victorious."

Read more: Iran declares victory as ceasefire forces Israeli retreat