Iran's Leader:

US Warships Can Be Sent to Seabed

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei responded to repeated US President Donald Trump's military threats against Iran, warning Washington that the weapons that can sink the American aircraft carriers are "more dangerous" than the warships.

News ID: ۳۸۶۳۶۰

جمعه - ۱۷ ارديبهشت ۲۰۲۶ / 2026 17 February

Addressing thousands of people from East Azarbaijan Province on Tuesday, Ayatollah Khamenei described the threatening statements of Trump as a manifestation of their desire to dominate the Iranian nation.
He stressed that, despite threats of war, the Americans are aware that, due to political and economic problems and the risk to their international reputation, they cannot endure such statements. He added, "They know what future awaits them if they make a mistake."
Ayatollah Khamenei, referring to the repeated threats of the US president regarding having the world’s strongest military, emphasized: "Even the strongest military force in the world may at times be struck so hard that it cannot get up again."
Regarding another US threat and action, the dispatch of a warship toward Iran, the Leader stated: "Of course, a warship is a dangerous piece of military hardware. However, more dangerous than that warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea."
Referring to the US president’s admission of inability to eliminate the Islamic Republic even after 47 years since the Revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei underlined: "This is a good admission. I would also say that you, too, will not be able to do it, because the Islamic Republic is not a government separate from its people—it is built upon a living, steadfast, and resilient nation."
He noted that the numerous economic, political, and social problems of the US are signs of the decline and impending end of the American empire, saying: "The problem the US has with us is that it wants to devour Iran, but the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic stand in the way of their goal."
The Leader pointed to the irrationality of the corrupt and oppressive American empire as another sign of its decline, stating: "An example of their irrationality is their interference in Iran’s affairs, including one of their critical issues about us, namely the matter of weaponry."
Continuing, the Leader referred to the historic statement of Imam Hossain (PBUH), that someone like him would never pledge allegiance to someone like Yazid, and underscored: "The Iranian nation similarly declares that a nation like ours, with such a culture, history, and lofty knowledge, will never pledge allegiance to those like the corrupt rulers of the US."
The Leader described the revelation of unbelievable corruption in the “Infamous Island” as a reflection of the reality of Western civilization and liberal democracy, adding: "Everything we had heard about the corruption of Western leaders is one thing, but this island affair is another. Of course, this is just one example of their vast corruption, and just as this case was hidden but became exposed, there are many other cases that will be revealed in the future."
He called it essential and obligatory for the nation to possess deterrent weapons, saying: "Any country without deterrent weapons will be crushed by its enemies. Yet the Americans, by interfering in the matter of armaments, say that you must not have a certain type or range of missiles. This, however, concerns the Iranian nation and is none of their business."
He considered the US's interference in Iran’s right to benefit from the peaceful nuclear industry for running the country and for medical, agricultural, and energy purposes as another example of their irrationality, addressing the Americans: "This matter concerns the Iranian nation. What does this have to do with you?"
Ayatollah Khamenei recalled that the right to possess nuclear facilities and enrichment is recognized for all countries in the treaties and regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and he emphasized that American interference in national rights reflects the disorderly approach of their officials over time.
The Leader described an even more astonishing example of American irrationality as the way they invite negotiations, noting: "They say, ‘Come, let’s negotiate about nuclear energy,’ but the outcome of the negotiation must be that you have no nuclear energy!"
Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that if any negotiation is to take place, pre-determining its outcome is a wrong and foolish act which is carried out by the American administration, the president, and some senators, and they do not realize that this path will be a dead end for them.
The Leader, explaining the nature of the mid-January sedition, added: “The intelligence and espionage agencies of the US and the Zionist regime, with the help of the intelligence agencies of some other countries, for months recruited individuals with malicious tendencies or a history of wrongdoing, trained them abroad, provided them with money and weapons, and sent them inside the country to carry out sabotage and attacks on military and government centers, so that they could enter the field at the right opportunity, which came to them in mid-January.”
He recalled that the trained elements sent some inexperienced and naïve individuals to the front, while they themselves entered the field with various weapons and a policy of violent and reckless action, and, like ISIS (also known as ISIL or Daesh), acted with unbelievable brutality, “setting fires, killing, and destroying.”
Ayatollah Khamenei described the main objective of these actions as undermining the foundations of the system, saying that the law enforcement forces, Basij, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and large numbers of people stood against the rioters, and the coup attempt despite all its preparations and enormous expenditures, was clearly defeated, and the Iranian nation emerged victorious.
Regarding the bloodshed during the unrest, he added that those few who were the ringleaders of the sedition attempting to stage a coup were killed, and their reckoning is with God. But we consider all the others who lost their lives as our own children and grieve for all of them.
The Leader classified the first group of victims—“law enforcement, Basij, IRGC, and the people accompanying them”—as the foremost martyrs of security, peace, and the soundness of society and the system. He stated that the second group, consisting of innocent passersby and civilians, are also martyrs, while the third group comprises those who were naïve and deceived, who followed the seditionists.
Referring to the Americans’ admission of forming ISIS, Ayatollah Khamenei said: “That ISIS has more or less been eliminated, but these [violent seditionists] are ‘new ISIS’ groups, and all officials and the people must remain vigilant in this regard.”
In conclusion, he described the “extraordinary demonstrations of January 11 and February 11” as “signs of God”, emphasizing: “The dear nation, which has been able to emerge victorious against the enemies’ plots and malevolent schemes in such a manner, must preserve this evident divine success through ‘preparedness, vigilance, and national unity.