Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at Iran’s message to the United States and Israel, Europe’s security threats, and barriers to aid entering Gaza.
‘A Slap to America’s Face’
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued his first public statement on Thursday following Tehran and Israel ending their 12-day conflict. In a prerecorded message that aired on Iranian state television, Khamenei downplayed the United States’ recent strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities, declared victory over Iran’s adversaries, and warned against further U.S. and Israeli attacks.
Tehran “delivered a slap to America’s face” by attacking a U.S. air base in Qatar, Khamenei said, adding that should any future aggression occur, “the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price.”
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that Washington “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s key nuclear facilities during a weekend attack. However, Khamenei on Thursday disputed this claim, saying the U.S. leader “exaggerated” the operation’s success. “They could not achieve anything significant,” Khamenei added, though he did not specify the current status of Tehran’s uranium enrichment capabilities, which he maintains are vital for civilian purposes.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday that the strikes “severely damaged” Iran’s nuclear program, and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director Rafael Grossi reiterated that the damage done by U.S. and Israeli strikes was “very, very, very considerable,” though he stipulated to French broadcaster RFI that using the word “‘annihilated’ is too much.”
Khamenei on Thursday also heralded the success of Iran’s retaliatory strike on the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday. Trump had previously characterized the attack as limited, saying no casualties occurred. However, the Iranian leader said the operation was significant, as it showed that Tehran “has access to important U.S. centers in the region and can act against them whenever it deems necessary.” Al Udeid Air Base is the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East.
Khamenei’s words on Thursday were defiant, but some observers noted that the 86-year-old leader’s tone seemed tired and somber. Both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested throughout the conflict that Khamenei was not immune from their strikes, with Trump posting on Truth Social last week: “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there—We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.”
Their threats forced Khamenei into hiding for nearly two weeks, with Iranian officials revealing that at one point, he was sheltering in a bunker. The 12-day tit-for-tat killed at least 28 people in Israel and more than 600 people in Iran, according to each nation’s authorities, respectively.
Trump on Wednesday said the United States will hold nuclear talks with Iranian officials next week, though Khamenei has not publicly acknowledged this, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that no meeting has been scheduled as of now. In the meantime, Iran’s Guardian Council approved a parliamentary bill on Thursday ordering the country to suspend cooperation with the IAEA “until the security of [Iran’s] nuclear facilities is ensured.”
The IAEA failed to “even superficially” condemn Israeli and U.S. attacks on its facilities, Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday, alleging that the agency also shared information on its nuclear sites with Israel.
As the status of Iran’s nuclear program slowly unfolds, Tehran is reportedly stepping up its internal security crackdown with mass arrests, executions, and military deployments. Officials told Reuters that Iran is focused on the threat of possible unrest, particularly in Kurdish areas.
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What We’re Following
Security concerns. European Union leaders convened in Brussels on Thursday to discuss how best to address the Russia-Ukraine war, after a two-day NATO summit in The Hague placed Kyiv’s membership bid largely on the back burner. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was sidelined from the main NATO meeting, but he video-conferenced in for the Brussels gathering.
Thursday’s agenda focused on approving Europe’s 18th round of sanctions against Moscow as well as deciding whether to maintain a price cap on Russian oil, which some argue could raise global energy prices. The European Council also planned to address NATO’s recent decision to increase the minimum defense spending requirement to 5 percent of a nation’s GDP, Moldova’s bid to join the European Union, and instability in the Middle East.
Defense and security remain a top concern for leaders across the region. On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the United Kingdom plans to purchase 12 U.S.-made F-35A fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons. London called it “the biggest strengthening of the U.K.’s nuclear posture in a generation.” Only three NATO nations—the United Kingdom, the United States, and France—are nuclear powers.
Aid blocks for Gaza. Israel has suspended aid deliveries into Gaza for the next two days, Israeli officials told Reuters on Thursday, citing efforts to prevent Hamas from seizing humanitarian supplies. A United Nations source confirmed the lack of deliveries into northern Gaza to Reuters, but Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer maintains that aid is entering the territory from the south.
On Wednesday, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett posted a video on X showing dozens of masked men, some of whom carried rifles, riding aid trucks. He claimed that the individuals were Hamas members trying to steal food, but local officials argue that the men were just guarding the supplies. Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz appeared to capitalize on the footage, ordering Israel’s military late Wednesday to formulate a plan on how to prevent Hamas from taking civilian aid.
Much of Gaza’s population remains at risk of hunger, and Israeli strikes continue to batter the territory. But Trump claimed on Wednesday that U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites helped spur cease-fire negotiations for the war in Gaza. “I think great progress is being made on Gaza … because of this attack that we made,” Trump told reporters. “I think we’re going to have some very good news.”
Burial site. A South African court temporarily blocked the private burial of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu in South Africa on Wednesday, ruling that the late leader cannot be buried until the case over where his final resting place should be concludes. The last-minute ruling occurred the same day that Lungu’s relatives were set to hold his funeral.
The Zambian government wants Lungu to have a state funeral, with current Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema presiding over it. Such a practice would “ensure that all Zambian citizens can pay their respects in a dignified and appropriate way,” Zambian Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha said, adding that state interests take priority over personal desires and that all other Zambian presidents have been buried at a designated site in the capital city of Lusaka.
However, Lungu’s family has refused this demand due to a long-running political feud with the current leader, adding that they do not want Hichilema to attend. Already, Lungu’s funeral has been canceled twice over this disagreement. Lungu died on June 5 at age 68 of an undisclosed illness.
Odds and Ends
Father Zareh Ashuryan, a spokesperson for the head of the Armenian Church, accused Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday of being circumcised and implying that he was therefore not a Christian—a scathing accusation in a country where around 94 percent of the population identifies as Armenian Orthodox. He went on to compare Pashinyan to Judas, Jesus’s apostle who is best known for betraying him. In response, Pashinyan publicly offered to show church officials his penis to prove his devoutness and later reiterated his accusation that Karekin II, the head of the Armenian Church, had broken his celibacy, which is forbidden for a person in that role.
The post Khamenei Vows to ‘Never Surrender’ to the U.S. in Defiant Speech appeared first on Foreign Policy.
