Scorched Earth
Khamenei's Fiery Rebuke of Trump: "You Are the Terrorists" Over Gaza Child Casualties
The speech bolstered Khamenei's image post-ceasefire, with IRGC parades in Isfahan displaying "Death to Trump" banners. However, reformist outlets like Shargh critiqued the 20,000 figure as "exaggerated for effect," highlighting Iran's own child casualties in protests.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei unleashed a scathing attack on U.S. President Donald Trump during a televised address on Sunday, accusing America of hypocrisy in the fight against terrorism by citing the deaths of Palestinian children in Gaza.
The remarks, delivered amid fragile ceasefire talks, mark a sharp escalation in anti-U.S. rhetoric from Tehran, framing the Israel-Hamas war as evidence of American complicity in "genocide."In the speech, broadcast on state media like IRIB and Press TV, Khamenei directly referenced Trump's repeated assertions that the U.S. is "fighting terrorism" in the Middle East.
"The American President says: We are fighting terrorism," Khamenei declared. "A four-year-old child, a five-year-old child, and a newborn baby; you have killed twenty thousand of these! Were they terrorists? You are the terrorists!"
The address, part of Khamenei's annual Quds Day-style commemoration (adapted for the post-ceasefire era), lasted 45 minutes and was attended by IRGC commanders and clerical allies in Tehran. Khamenei tied the critique to broader "resistance axis" themes, praising Hamas' resilience and warning that U.S. support for Israel would "ignite a fire" across the region. He also alluded to the October 11 ceasefire as a "temporary reprieve" forced by Iranian pressure via proxies like the Houthis, vowing continued proxy actions until "full liberation of Palestine."
Khamenei's outburst follows Trump's October 18 praise of the truce as a "masterpiece" that "disarmed" Hamas, during which he claimed U.S. backing enabled Israel's "decisive victory over terrorism."
The Supreme Leader's response appears calibrated to rally hardliners amid Iran's economic woes, including sanctions and a weakening rial.
It echoes similar salvos: In July 2025, Khamenei labeled Trump a "clown" for nuclear talks, and in March, he accused the U.S. of "Zionist puppetry" over Rafah operations. Khamenei invoked the dead Gazan children to contrast Trump's "America First" with "Palestine Last," urging Muslim nations to sever ties with Washington.
Trump, posting on Truth Social, dismissed Khamenei as "Old Mad Mullah" and a "loser who hides behind kids," vowing "fire and fury" if Iran escalates via proxies.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement via the White House press office late Sunday, describing the Iranian leader's comments as "vile propaganda straight from the playbook of a regime that arms child soldiers and funds terror worldwide." She added: "Khamenei's crocodile tears over Gaza ignore the fact that his proxies, like Hamas and Hezbollah, deliberately embed themselves among civilians, that's the real terrorism. President Trump brokered peace in the region while Iran sows chaos; we'll keep exposing their lies."
PM Benjamin Netanyahu's office labeled it "blood libel from the ayatollah of hate," tying it to Iran's October 2025 missile supplies to Hezbollah. IDF sources noted heightened alerts along the Golan amid fears of retaliation.
Khamenei wasn't holding back at all. He also said, "What business is it of you Americans if a country has a nuclear industry, for you to interfere and say what should or shouldn’t be done? Who appointed you over the world? And what does America have to do with whether Iran possesses nuclear capabilities and industry or not?”
Khamenei's attacks fit a pattern: Since Trump's 2018 JCPOA withdrawal, he's issued over 50 public rebukes, often over Gaza to deflect domestic unrest. Analysts see this as signaling no thaw in U.S.-Iran ties, especially with Trump's "maximum pressure 2.0" looming. As the ceasefire holds tenuously, the rhetoric risks proxy flare-ups in Yemen or Lebanon.