On the anniversary of the great Tabriz Popular Uprising on February 18, 1978, Ayatollah Khamenei held a meeting with thousands of people from Tabriz on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.
During the meeting, which took place at the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyah of Tehran, the Leader referred to undue interference and brazen threats by American officials and media outlets about attacking Iran, saying US officials are aware that they cannot withstand the consequences of such rhetoric and actions.
Ayatollah Khamenei added that the Iranian bodies responsible for confronting threats are fully prepared, and the Iranian nation should calmly and confidently continue with its daily life.
Pointing to repeated threats by the US President Donald Trump about possessing the strongest army in the world, Ayatollah Khamenei said even the world’s strongest army may at times receive such a severe blow that it cannot stand back up.
Pointing to the dispatch of US aircraft carriers toward Iran, the Leader said that although a warship is a dangerous device, more dangerous than it is the weapon that can send it to the depths of the sea.
Referring to the US president’s admission that despite 47 years having passed since the Islamic Revolution Washington has failed to destroy the Islamic Republic, the Leader described the numerous economic, political, and social problems facing the US as signs of the decline and eventual demise of American empire.
He said the issue for the US is that it seeks to devour Iran, but the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic stand in the way of that objective.
The Leader characterized the threatening statements by the US president as indicative of Washington’s desire to dominate the Iranian nation, adding that the Iranian people are well-versed in their Islamic and Shiite teachings and know when and how to act.
Citing a historic statement by Imam Hussein (AS) that someone like him would never pledge allegiance to someone like Yazid, Ayatollah Khamenei said the Iranian nation likewise declares that a nation with such culture, history, and lofty teachings will not pledge allegiance to corrupt figures ruling the United States, Tasnim reported.
The Leader stressed that despite threatening war, the Americans know that given their political and economic problems as well as concerns over their international reputation and credibility, they lack the capacity to carry out such threats, and they are aware of the consequences should they make a miscalculation.
Among other signs of the decline of the unjust and corrupt American empire, the Leader cited US irrationality, including interference in Iran’s internal affairs such as the issue of armaments.
Ayatollah Khamenei described the possession of deterrent weapons as necessary and obligatory for the nation, saying that any country lacking deterrent arms would be crushed under the feet of its enemies. He added that US interference in Iran’s armaments, including claims that Iran should not possess certain types or ranges of missiles, is unrelated to Washington and concerns the Iranian nation alone.
Ayatollah Khamenei also described US interference in Iran’s right to benefit from peaceful nuclear technology for managing the country and for medical, agricultural, and energy purposes as another example of irrationality, asking what relevance it has to the US.
Referring to the public slogan that nuclear energy is Iran’s undeniable right, he said the right to possess nuclear facilities and enrichment is recognized for all countries in the agreements and regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and US interference in Iran’s national rights reflects disordered thinking among American officials past and present.
The Leader further described as even more irrational the US approach to negotiations, saying Washington calls for talks on nuclear energy while predetermining that the outcome must be that Iran has no nuclear energy. He stressed that if negotiations are to take place, setting their outcome in advance is a wrong and foolish act, adding that such behavior by the US government, president, and some senators leads to a dead end for them.
