Iran's supreme leader denounces Trump: 'This man's corpse will also be worm food'

Ali Khamenei.
(Image credit: ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

The supreme leader of Iran isn't happy with President Trump.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed discontent with Trump over the decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal in a Wednesday tweet.

Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. would leave the Iran deal, which lessened economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehran's commitment to curbing its nuclear program. Khamenei called Trump "shallow and ludicrous," but said he wasn't surprised at the decision to leave the deal.

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Somewhat ominously, Khamenei vowed that Iran would remain strong in the face of coming U.S. sanctions, recalling that the nation had survived tough treatment from previous administrations. "Iranian nation is persistent while former U.S. presidents passed away and [Iran] is still standing," he wrote. "This man's corpse will also be worm food while [Iran] stands strong."

Lawmakers in Iran have vigorously protested Trump's withdrawal, burning a U.S. flag in parliament and saying that Trump "does not have the mental capacity to deal with issues." Khamenei, for his part, has written several tweets condemning Trump's "lies" and "threats" and argued that the U.S. has been unnecessarily cruel towards Iran.

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Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.