US had to enter war to save Israel

Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei yesterday said the US had to enter the war to save Israel, which almost collapsed amid Iranian strikes.

In a statement and a televised speech carried by state media, he hailed his country's "victory" over Israel and vowed never to surrender to the United States, while claiming that Washington had been dealt a "slap" after striking Iranian nuclear sites.

He also said President Donald Trump "exaggerated" the impact of US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, in his first appearance since a ceasefire in the war with Israel took hold.

Khamenei's remarks come two days after a ceasefire ended a 12-day war between Iran and Israel, the foes' deadliest and most destructive confrontation in history.

It also follows a stinging row in the United States over the actual extent of the damage inflicted by American strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites during the conflict.

"The US directly entered the war as it felt that if it did not get involved, the Zionist regime (Israel) would be fully destroyed. It entered the war to save it," he said.

"The US attacked our nuclear facilities, but couldn't do any important deed... The US president did abnormal showmanship and needed to do so," he added.

Trump said over the weekend that the US deployment of 30,000-pound bombs had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear programme. However, this appeared to be contradicted by an initial assessment from one of his administration's intelligence agencies, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The United States "has gained nothing from this war," he said, adding that American strikes "did nothing significant" to Iran's nuclear facilities.

"The Islamic republic won, and in retaliation dealt a severe slap to the face of America," he said, a reference to Iran's missile launch targeting the largest US base in the Middle East.

"I want to congratulate the great Iranian nation... for its victory over the fallacious Zionist regime," he added, claiming that Israel had "almost collapsed" because of Iran's strikes.

Both Iran and Israel had already claimed they won, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailing on Tuesday a "historic victory" for Israel.

In the United States, the leaked intelligence opened up a Pandora's box of accusations and counter-claims.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the US strikes on Iran and forcefully criticised the media's coverage of early intelligence assessments of the impact of Saturday's bombing run targeting Iranian nuclear facilities in a Pentagon press conference.

"I hope, with all the ink spilled, all of your outlets find the time to properly recognise this historic change in continental security that other presidents tried to do, other presidents talked about," Hegseth said. "President Trump accomplished it. It's a huge deal."

After waves of Israeli attacks on nuclear and military sites and retaliatory missile fire from Iran since June 13, the United States bombed three key Iranian atomic facilities.

An initial classified assessment, first reported by CNN, was said to have concluded that the strikes did not destroy key components and that Iran's nuclear programme was set back only months at most.

Another key question raised by experts is whether Iran, preparing for the strike, moved out some 400 kilograms (880 pounds) of enriched uranium -- which could now be hidden elsewhere in the vast country.

The US administration has hit back furiously.

CIA chief John Ratcliffe said in a statement on Wednesday that "several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years".

The Israeli military said it had delivered a "significant" blow to Iran's nuclear sites but that it was "still early" to fully assess the damage.

On Wednesday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told Al Jazeera that "nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that's for sure".

After the war derailed nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, Trump said Washington would hold discussions with Tehran next week.

"We may sign an agreement. I don't know," Trump added.

Meanwhile, the Iranian body tasked with vetting legislation approved a bill to suspend cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog yesterday, amid opposition from Russia and other European nations.

Iranian lawmakers voted in favour of the bill on Wednesday. The bill will now be submitted to President Masoud Pezeshkian for final ratification.

The Israeli strikes on Iran killed at least 627 civilians, Tehran's health ministry said. Iran's attacks on Israel killed 28 people, according to official figures.

A state funeral will be held on Saturday in Tehran for top commanders and nuclear scientists killed in the war.