After U.S. Strikes, Iranian Supreme Leader Again Calls For ‘Death To America’ As Trump Cabinet Meets

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – Iran’s supreme leader again called for “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” after U.S. strikes in southern Iran, even as President Donald Trump convened his Cabinet for high-level discussions while negotiations with Tehran entered a decisive stage.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that talks between Washington and Tehran are expected to continue for several more days before it becomes clear whether an agreement can be reached.

“The president has expressed his desire to make a deal; he’s either going to make a good deal or no deal,” Rubio told reporters.

The talks are centered on extending the ceasefire, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and resolving major disputes over Iran’s nuclear program and frozen assets. Rubio said negotiators are still working through “specific language” in an initial document and emphasized that President Trump will not accept a weak agreement.

“The straits need to be open, unimpeded, without tolls,” Rubio said, referring to the critical waterway through which much of the world’s energy trade passes.

The diplomatic push comes after the U.S. military carried out strikes in southern Iran on Monday night. U.S. officials described the operation as defensive, saying targets included missile launch sites and minelaying boats. Washington said the strikes were conducted with restraint despite the fragile ceasefire.

Iran denounced the strikes as an act of “bad faith and unreliability,” warning that the United States would bear responsibility for “all consequences.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will leave no act of aggression unanswered,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry said.

Yet even as Tehran accused Washington of escalation, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued a fiery statement marking the Hajj pilgrimage, declaring that “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” would become common rallying cries across the Muslim world.

“From now on, the slogans ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel’ will be the slogans of the Islamic nation and the oppressed people of the world, especially the youth,” Khamenei said in the statement.

Khamenei also called Israel a “shaky Zionist regime” and a “cancerous tumor,” claiming Iran had made Israel “helpless” during the war and had delivered “a harsh slap” to the United States.

His remarks underscored the deep ideological hostility driving Tehran’s leadership at the very moment Iranian officials are seeking sanctions relief, access to frozen assets, and a broader ceasefire arrangement.

According to reports, the United States and Israel are awaiting a response from Khamenei following talks in Qatar between Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

An Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post that Iran’s decision-making process has been slow because Khamenei is reportedly in a secure location and recovering from injuries, making him difficult to reach.

One of the most difficult unresolved issues is Iran’s demand for access to frozen assets. Tehran is reportedly seeking the immediate release of half of approximately $24 billion frozen around the world once a framework agreement is signed, with the remaining funds released at the end of a 60-day period.

A senior U.S. official said Washington will not release any funds unless Iran’s enriched uranium is removed or destroyed.

“No dust, no dollars,” the official said, referring to enriched uranium.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces and U.S. Central Command remain on high alert in case diplomacy collapses and Trump orders renewed military action. A source familiar with the matter said coordination between the two militaries remains active, including communication between IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper.

“There is currently a high level of readiness, continued planning, and ongoing coordination between the militaries,” the source said. “Everyone is waiting for President Trump’s decisions, but contrary to what some may assume, security coordination continues on a routine and uninterrupted basis.”

Trump said Monday that his administration is “not rushing into a deal,” a notable shift after earlier optimism that an agreement with Tehran could be near. The president has repeatedly warned that any deal must be strong, enforceable, and fundamentally different from the Obama-era nuclear agreement, which critics said gave Iran economic relief while failing to permanently dismantle its nuclear threat.

As the talks approached a critical point, Trump was expected to hold a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, with Iran reportedly set to dominate the discussions. The meeting had initially been planned for Camp David, but Trump later said it would take place at the White House due to possible bad weather.

The central question now is whether Iran is prepared to accept a serious agreement or whether Tehran will continue pairing diplomacy with threats, nuclear leverage, and open calls for Israel’s destruction.

For Israel and the United States, the stakes could hardly be higher. Iran is demanding money while threatening retaliation. Washington is demanding that the nuclear danger be removed. And in the middle of it all, the Iranian regime’s supreme leader has once again made clear that its hostility toward America and Israel is not merely political — it is ideological, enduring, and dangerous.

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