No Direct Mention of the United States
On June 23 (local time), Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized Israel, accusing it of committing enormous crimes.
On this day, Khamenei stated on X (formerly Twitter), "The Zionist enemy (a term Iran commonly uses to refer to Israel) has made a grave mistake and committed enormous crimes," adding, "They must be punished, and they are being punished now." This marks Khamenei's first official response following the U.S. airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. The term "Zionist" refers to Israel, and the United States was not mentioned directly.
On June 22, the United States carried out sudden airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, including Fordow. In response, Iran signaled retaliation by stating, "Punishment is underway now."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
