Zürcher Nachrichten - Trump says would bomb Iran again if nuclear activities start

In an extraordinary outburst on his Truth Social platform, Trump blasted Tehran for claiming to have won its war with Israel and said he was halting work on possible sanctions relief.

Trump said the United States would bomb Iran again "without question" if the country was still able to enrich uranium to the grade required for nuclear weapons following US strikes.

The US president accused the Iranian leader of ingratitude after Khamenei said in a defiant message that reports of damage to nuclear sites from the US bombings were exaggerated, and said Iran had beaten Israel and dealt Washington a "slap."

"I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life," Trump posted.

"I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH, and he does not have to say, 'THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!'"

Trump also said that he had been working in recent days on the possible removal of sanctions against Iran, one of Tehran's long-term demands.

"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.

Iran has denied it is set to resume nuclear talks with the United States, after Trump said at a NATO summit in The Hague that negotiations were set to begin again next week.

Its government on Friday rejected a request by Rafael Grossi, the director of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, to visit facilities bombed by Israel and the United States, saying it suggested "malign intent."

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi hit out at Grossi personally in a post on X for not speaking out against the air strikes, accusing him of an "astounding betrayal of his duties."

- 'Beat to hell' -

Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff had expressed hope "for a comprehensive peace agreement."

Asked earlier in a White House press conference whether he would consider fresh air strikes if last week's sorties were not successful in ending Iran's nuclear ambitions, Trump said: "Sure. Without question. Absolutely."

Trump added that Khamenei and Iran "got beat to hell" in the hostilities involving the United States and Israel and that "it was a great time to end it."

In the Truth Social post, the US president accused Khamenei of "blatantly and foolishly" saying Iran won the 12-day war with Israel, adding: "As a man of great faith, he is not supposed to lie."

The war of words comes as a fragile ceasefire holds in the conflict, which erupted on June 13 when Israel launched a bombing campaign that it said aimed to stop its adversary from developing a nuclear weapon.

"Israel acted at the last possible moment against an imminent threat against it, the region and the international community," Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote Friday on X.

"The international community now has an obligation to prevent, through any effective means, the world's most extreme regime from obtaining the most dangerous weapon."

Speculation had swirled about the fate of Khamenei before his first appearance since the ceasefire -- a televised speech on Thursday.

Khamenei hailed what he described as Iran's "victory" over Israel, vowing never to yield to US pressure.

"The American president exaggerated events in unusual ways, and it turned out that he needed this exaggeration," Khamenei said, rejecting Trump's claims Iran's nuclear program had been set back by decades.

P.E.Steiner--NZN