U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly abandoned plans to lift sanctions on Iran on Friday, following a defiant speech by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the aftermath of a deadly 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran.
Speaking at a White House press conference, Trump strongly condemned Khamenei’s remarks, in which the Iranian leader declared that Iran had “slapped America in the face” by launching a missile strike on a U.S. military base in Qatar following U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Khamenei also vowed that Iran would “never surrender.”
“I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief,” Trump said. “And more.”
Trump revealed that in recent days he had considered easing economic pressure on Tehran in a bid to facilitate its post-conflict recovery, but said Khamenei’s hostile rhetoric ended those efforts. He also warned that he would not hesitate to authorize new strikes on Iranian nuclear sites if intelligence suggested Tehran was enriching uranium at threatening levels.
Asked directly whether he would consider another military strike on Iran, Trump replied: “Nothing is off the table.”
The sharp reversal comes just days after U.S. B-2 bombers hit multiple Iranian nuclear sites in retaliation for Iran’s support of missile attacks against Israel. Trump has claimed those strikes “obliterated” key parts of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, though U.S. intelligence assessments on the actual impact remain divided.
In a striking revelation, Trump also said he had personally blocked an Israeli plan to assassinate Khamenei during the conflict. “I spared his life,” Trump said, referencing U.S. officials who earlier told Reuters that the president had vetoed the Israeli operation on June 15.
The escalating war of words highlights the fragile state of U.S.-Iran relations after one of the most dangerous confrontations in years. While ceasefires between Israel and Iran are holding for now, the diplomatic fallout continues to reverberate in Washington.
White House officials have suggested that while diplomacy remains an option, Tehran’s recent actions have narrowed the window for negotiations. Trump’s comments appear to rule out any immediate return to talks or sanctions relief — raising fears of a renewed cycle of conflict if tensions escalate again.
As regional powers brace for what comes next, both Tehran and Washington are making clear that neither is ready to back down.
