Iran’s supreme leader threatened US military power, rejected limits on Iran’s missile program, and criticized Washington after US aircraft carriers were sent to the region.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, February 17, 2026.(photo credit: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
)ByJAMES GENN
FEBRUARY 17, 2026 14:46Updated: FEBRUARY 17, 2026 21:35
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened the US military, saying that the “strongest military force may be struck so hard that it cannot get up again,” in a post on X/Twitter on Tuesday.
In reacting to the US sending aircraft carriers to the region, he wrote, “Of course, a warship is a dangerous piece of military hardware. However, more dangerous than that warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea.”
The Islamic Revolution’s 2026 anniversary could well be its last
Trump has said that the US has not been able to “eliminate the Islamic Republic,” he added, calling it a “good confession” and claiming that US President Donald Trump “will not be able to do this.”
Khamenei: ‘Corrupt’ US’s decline signaled by its ‘irrationality’
“A sign of the decline of the corrupt, oppressive US empire is its irrationality, such as interfering in our country’s internal affairs,” he wrote.
“They say, ‘limit your missiles to this range.’ What’s that to do with you? Without deterrent weaponry, a country will be crushed by the enemy,” Khamenei stated, denying that Iran would give up its ballistic missile capabilities.
Khamenei also commented on Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“Peaceful nuclear energy is not for war; it is for running the country – for agriculture, for treatment and healthcare, and for everything that depends on energy. This is among the nation’s rights. What does it have to do with you Americans?” he commented.
“The fact that nuclear energy is our undeniable right has also been included in the guidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency. That is, all countries have the right to own nuclear and enrichment installations. This is among a nation’s rights. Why does the US interfere?” he added.
About The Author
