Refusal to surrender

White House brushes off Iranian supreme leader’s refusal to surrender: “You have to save face”

From CNN’s Kate Irby and Mostafa Salem

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday dismissed comments from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that Tehran will “never surrender.”

“When you have a totalitarian regime, you have to save face. I think any common-sense, open-minded person knows the truth about the precision strikes on Saturday night — they were wildly successful, and it’s what led to the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran, which the president is very grateful for,” Leavitt told reporters at a briefing.

Some context: The 86-year-old Khamenei issued his pre-recorded statement from an undisclosed private location Thursday. Khamenei predictably declared victory over Israel and the United States in his address, despite the killing of key Iranian leaders and the strikes on Tehran’s nuclear sites.

US President Donald Trump’s call for “unconditional surrender” last week appeared to have hit a nerve with Iran’s leader, for whom preserving Iranian sovereignty against Western influence is a central tenet.

While Trump has voiced confidence that US strikes dealt a massive blow to Iran’s nuclear aspirations, US assessments are still ongoing about the extent of the damage.