Iran’s Supreme Leader Issues Ultimatum to Trump

By Amir Daftari

Iran’s supreme leader has issued a stark ultimatum to U.S. President Donald Trump, escalating the long-running standoff between Tehran and Washington.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared that Iran would not engage with the United States unless it abandoned its support for Israel, pulled its forces out of the Middle East and ended all interference in regional affairs.

Newsweek has contacted the U.S. State Department and Iran’s Foreign Ministry for comment.

Why It Matters

Khamenei’s remarks highlight a persistent impasse with global consequences. The U.S. and Iran are major players in a volatile region, and their standoff affects oil markets, regional security and the balance of power in the Middle East.

Recent military confrontations, including Israel’s June offensive against Iranian targets and U.S. strikes on key nuclear facilities, have only intensified tensions.

Efforts at diplomacy have repeatedly failed, and any escalation could trigger broader conflict involving Israel, U.S. forces and regional allies.

The supreme leader’s rejection of cooperation underscores that without fundamental shifts in U.S. policy, tensions are unlikely to ease, keeping the international community on alert for potential instability.

What To Know

On Monday, while commemorating the anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover, Khamenei delivered a blistering critique of the United States, accusing it of arrogance, imperialism and hypocrisy.

He said Washington’s nature was fundamentally “intolerant of independence” and that every American president—past and present—had sought Iran’s submission.

“Every American president has demanded Iran’s surrender, even if they did not say it aloud. The current president said it openly, he revealed the true face of America,” Khamenei said.

He warned that any future U.S. request for cooperation would be examined only after Washington agreed to certain conditions.

“Only if the United States completely cuts its backing for the Zionist regime, removes its military bases from the region, and ceases interfering in its affairs,” Khamenei said.

He stressed that these conditions would not be met “in the near future,” underscoring Tehran’s insistence on sovereignty and noninterference as absolute prerequisites for any dialogue with Washington.

1979 U.S. Embassy Takeover

Reflecting on the events that shaped Iran’s anti-American stance, Khamenei described the 1979 embassy seizure—when Iranian students stormed the U.S. mission in Tehran and held 52 American diplomats hostage for 444 days—as “a day of pride and victory.”

The takeover occurred months after Iran’s revolution and was carried out in protest of Washington’s decision to admit the deposed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi for medical treatment, which students feared signaled another U.S.-backed attempt to overturn the revolution.

A lowered U.S. flag seen outside the former U.S. Embassy, which has been turned into an anti-American museum, in Tehran, Iran, on October 22, 2024. | Vahid Salemi/AP Photo

Khamenei said the incident exposed “the true identity of the American government,” which he portrayed as hostile to nations seeking independence. Rejecting the idea that the seizure began the two countries’ enmity, Khamenei said, “The differences between the Islamic Republic and America are not tactical but essential.”

Trump on Iran

On Sunday, speaking to CBS’s 60 Minutes, Trump described his approach to Iran as central to Middle East stability. He said, “You essentially had a nuclear Iran, and I blasted the hell out of ‘em.”

The U.S. president added that Iran now had “no nuclear capability” and praised U.S. pilots for operations conducted in Iranian airspace.

Trump argued that curbing Iran’s nuclear program was essential for Arab-Israeli normalization and emphasized that U.S. strikes were carefully calibrated to deter Tehran while leaving room for future diplomacy.

What People Are Saying

Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday: “Only if the United States completely cuts its backing for the Zionist regime, removes its military bases from the region, and ceases interfering in its affairs, their request for cooperation with Iran, not in the near future but much later, could be examined.”

U.S. President Donald Trump told 60 Minutes: “The main thing is you could’ve never had any kind of a deal if you had a nuclear Iran, and you essentially had a nuclear Iran, and I blasted the hell out of ‘em.”

What Happens Next

With both sides entrenched in their positions, the prospect of immediate U.S.-Iran cooperation appears slim.

While Washington continues to explore diplomatic channels, Tehran’s insistence on structural changes to U.S. policy sets a high bar for engagement.

Analysts warn that without concessions on regional policy and security issues, tensions in the Middle East are likely to persist, with potential for renewed military confrontation if diplomacy stalls further.