Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave his annual Nowruz speech yesterday, highlighting the important challenges for the upcoming Persian New Year. While a great deal of his address was focused on domestic issues, especially pertaining to production, many international observers focused on what would be said about the current deadlock with the United States on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.
Khamenei, referring to former President Donald Trump as “an idiot,” said that the US maximum pressure policy failed and Iran remained standing as Trump “left in disgrace and shamed America.” Khamenei continued, “Maximum pressure failed, and if the new administration wants to continue that policy they too will fail, and Iran will become stronger day by day.”