President Donald Trump is tweaking his “Make America Great Again” slogan as he is pushing back on criticism from Iran’s supreme leader.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered a sermon on Friday where he blasted the U.S. for the death of late top Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, as well as praised Iran’s missile strike on American troops in Iraq in response to the death of Soleimani.
Khamenei also took a swipe at some of Trump’s comments — explaining that the Trump administration “will continue to stand with” the people of Iran — on Twitter.
He wrote, “If you are standing by the Iranian , it is only to stab them in the heart with your venomous daggers. Of course, you have so far failed to do so, you will certainly continue to fail.”
During Friday’s sermon, Khamenei called Trump a “clown” who, he claims, pretends to support Iran but wants to “push a poisonous dagger” into its back, as Politico reported.
Additionally, Khamenei called the past two weeks “extraordinary and eventful,” as well as “bitter and sweet events.”
“The fact that Iran has the power to give such a slap to a world power shows the hand of God,” Khamenei said, referring to the Jan. 8 missile strike on U.S. troops in retaliation to the Soleimani’s death on Jan. 3.
In response to Khamenei, Trump swiped back at the supreme leader in a tweet on Friday evening.
“The noble people of Iran—who love America—deserve a government that’s more interested in helping them achieve their dreams than killing them for demanding respect,” Trump wrote.
The president added, “Instead of leading Iran toward ruin, its leaders should abandon terror and Make Iran Great Again!”