{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreihteppuj6ecoeofogc2de7frretfcf2muvfnfbs3qxm475tkxfkte",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:neqfhinxgjyy6qagpbcb6wfe/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmw2waxwfep2"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreick547w5hmwdezb52dssbthyopy5huyttvganajqts7b3kv5k2lca"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/png",
    "size": 326323
  },
  "path": "/partner/iran-supremeleader-us-israel-knees",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-28T11:53:44.000Z",
  "site": "https://nukta.com",
  "textContent": "\n\n\n\nIran's supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei warned on Thursday that the United States and Israel were seeking to destabilize the Islamic republic. He delivered the message in writing, read on state television, to mark the anniversary of Iran's national legislature. Khamenei has not appeared in public since taking office in March.\n\n#### What did Iran's supreme leader say about the U.S. and Israel?\n\nKhamenei accused Washington and Tel Aviv of pursuing a coordinated plan to weaken Iran through economic pressure, political isolation, and propaganda. He said their goal was to \"create divisions and disintegration\" and \"bring the nation to its knees,\" framing it as compensation for military defeats. He also called on Iranians to maintain unity and cohesion.\n\nMojtaba Khamenei, 56, succeeded his father Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in the opening U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. Those strikes triggered a broader regional conflict that has continued despite a subsequent ceasefire agreement reached in April.\n\n#### Did the U.S. violate the ceasefire with its strikes on Iran?\n\nIran says yes. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei condemned the strikes as a ceasefire violation and criticized what he called \"the threatening rhetoric of American officials against Iran and several regional countries.\" Washington defended the action as self-defense, saying U.S. forces struck a ground control station near Bandar Abbas. The strikes were confirmed by a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity to _AFP_.\n\nEarlier Thursday, Iran's foreign ministry also condemned the strikes on the southern port city of Bandar Abbas and expressed solidarity with Oman after President Donald Trump threatened to \"blow them up.\" The ministry said Iran would take all necessary measures to defend its national sovereignty. Officials described the exchanges as the most serious escalation since the ceasefire took effect.\n\n#### How did the confrontation near the Strait of Hormuz unfold?\n\nThe confrontation began after Iranian forces opened fire on four vessels attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state broadcaster _IRIB_. U.S. forces responded by striking the ground control station near Bandar Abbas. Iran's Revolutionary Guards then said they targeted the American base from which the attack had originated.\n\nThe Guards confirmed in a statement carried by _IRIB_ that they struck the American air base at 4:50 a.m. local time (0120 GMT), describing it as a response to an aerial attack near Bandar Abbas Airport. They did not disclose the location of the targeted base. Kuwait's military separately said its air defenses had intercepted what it described as an \"enemy\" attack early Thursday.\n\n#### What did Iran's Revolutionary Guards say about the strikes?\n\nThe U.S. military called an Iranian missile strike on Kuwait \"an egregious ceasefire violation.\" U.S. Central Command said the attack came hours after Iranian forces launched five one-way attack drones that posed a threat in and near the Strait of Hormuz. All five drones were intercepted by U.S. forces, who also prevented a sixth drone launch.\n\nThe renewed hostilities have cast doubt on fragile negotiations aimed at securing a broader peace agreement and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping corridor. Indirect talks have continued through Pakistani mediation, with neither side showing willingness to compromise on the Strait or Tehran's nuclear program.\n\n#### How have the strikes affected oil prices and sanctions?\n\nOil prices rose on Thursday after reports of the strikes, reversing sharp losses from the previous session driven by optimism over a possible diplomatic breakthrough. The U.S. Treasury also imposed sanctions on Wednesday on Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority, the body responsible for collecting transit fees from vessels crossing Hormuz. On the same day, the Revolutionary Guards' navy warned that only ships willing to abide by Iranian rules would be permitted through the waterway.",
  "title": "Iran supreme leader says US and Israel seek to 'bring nation to its knees'"
}