White House says Iran attempting to 'save face' after Khamenei claims victory

The White House said Iran felt the need to “save face” Thursday after Islamic Republic Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei appeared in a video broadcast on Iranian state television and said Iran would never surrender.

The ayatollah also said Iran would respond to any future U.S. attack by striking American military bases in the Middle East.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “Look, we saw the ayatollah’s video. And when you have a totalitarian regime, you have to save face. I think any common-sense, open-minded person knows the truth about the precision strikes on Saturday night.”

Ms. Leavitt said the bombing mission was “wildly successful” and the “world is a safer place because of it.”

“It’s what led to the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran, which the president is very grateful for. And the United States of America remains prepared to defend our assets and our personnel in the region,” she said.

The 86-year-old ayatollah declared victory over Israel and said his country had “delivered a hand slap to America’s face” on Thursday. It was his first public comments since a ceasefire was declared in the war between the two countries.

He told viewers that the U.S. had only intervened in the war because “it felt that if it did not intervene, the Zionist regime would be utterly destroyed.”

He also said the U.S. “achieved no gains from this war.”

“The Islamic Republic was victorious and, in retaliation, delivered a hand slap to America’s face,” he said, seemingly referring to the Iranian missile attack on an American base in Qatar on Monday, which caused no casualties.