Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, has criticised US President Donald Trump, accusing him of “tyrannical” and arrogant leadership. In a post on X, Khamenei compared Trump to historical rulers such as Pharaoh, Nimrod and Iran’s former Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, warning that they all fell at the height of their power. “He too will fall,” Khamenei wrote.
The remarks come amid longstanding hostility between Tehran and Washington. Tensions escalated further after Trump reportedly praised an Israeli strike on Iran in June 2025. According to ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl, Trump said: “I think it’s been excellent… They got hit hard, very hard… And there’s more to come — a lot more,” comments Iran condemned as endorsing “blatant aggression.”