Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hailed his country's “victory” over Israel. This is his first statement since the ceasefire that ended the 12-day war on June 24 came into effect.

He said that Israel “almost collapsed” after Iran's retaliatory strikes.

“The Zionist regime almost collapsed and was crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic,” Khamenei said, as quoted by AFP.

“I want to congratulate the great Iranian nation: first for its victory over the Zionist regime,” he added.

“The US gained nothing by joining this war,” Khamenei continued.

“They intervened directly, convinced that their refusal to get involved would lead to the complete destruction of the Zionist regime. The Islamic Republic has won and, in retaliation, has dealt a heavy blow to America,” the Iranian supreme leader said.

He also stated that the US strikes against Iran were “nothing special” and that US President Donald Trump had “exaggerated” the damage caused to their nuclear program.

Khamenei stressed that Trump had tried to “minimize” the impact of Iran's retaliatory strikes on the US base in Qatar.

Trump “tried to pretend that nothing happened when a big event happened,” he said of Iran's June 23 attack on the Al Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest US military facility in the Middle East.

Iran's supreme leader pointed out that the attack “caused damage,” while Trump dismissed it as “very weak.” No casualties were reported at the base.

Khamenei also threatened to launch new strikes on US bases in the region if Iran is subjected to another attack by the US.

“The Islamic Republic has access to important US bases in the region and can act against them when it deems necessary. This could happen again in the future; if an attack occurs, the price for the enemy and the aggressor will certainly be high,” he insisted. | BGNES