Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said President Donald Trump has laid bare Washington’s true goal toward Iran—submission.

“The man who is now in office in the U.S. wants Iran to be obedient to the US,” Khamenei said on his official X account, signaling Tehran has no intention of backing down even as U.S. and European powers threaten fresh sanctions.

Newsweek has reached out to the White House for comment.

Why It Matters

Iran is locked in a high-stakes standoff with the U.S. and Western powers over the future of its nuclear enrichment program. Tensions soared and diplomacy stalled following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June, with Trump threatening further attacks if Iran does not change course.

Tehran says its military is at a high state of readiness amid concerns over more attacks under a fragile ceasefire with Israel

What To Know

Khamanei said Trump’s statements and actions were part of a U.S. effort to subdue Iran, calling them “a grave insult” to the nation, and vowed that Iran “will stand with all its might against anyone who has such a wrongful expectation,” he said on Sunday.

Khamenei dismissed calls for direct talks with Washington as naive, arguing that they ignore the deeper conflict. “This is not a matter that can be resolved.”

The Trump administration has targeted Iranian oil firms and vessels, tightening the economic noose with sanctions before and after the nuclear talks—ultimately derailed by Israeli strikes on Iran and the subsequent U.S. bombing of its key nuclear facilities.

Khamenei further accused the U.S. of backing Israel against Iran, prompting Tehran’s retaliatory strikes. He called for concrete measures against Israel’s “crimes” toward Palestinians, praising the Yemen-based Houthi militant group, whom Tehran supports, as a model of resistance.

What People Are Saying

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said in a public address on August 24: “The gentleman currently in power in America has revealed their true objective. He said their confrontation with Iran is because they want Iran to obey America’s commands, meaning, in reality, they want the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic system to submit to their commands. […] The Iranian nation feels deeply offended by such a grave insult, and it will stand with all its might against anyone who has such a wrongful expectation of it.

President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on August 7: “Now that the nuclear arsenal being ‘created’ by Iran has been totally OBLITERATED, it is very important to me that all Middle Eastern Countries join the Abraham Accords. This will insure PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST.”

What Happens Next

Iran could face new sanctions under a “snapback mechanism” that European powers have threatened to trigger by the end of the month if no progress is made in nuclear negotiations.