“They [Americans] though they could force Iran to soften [its position] if they exerted their maximum pressure policy,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a meeting with senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps on Wednesday.

“With God Almighty’s help, they have now realized that the ‘maximum pressure’ has only troubled themselves,” he added.

“The more our enemies spend, the more they face losses. How much did you spend in Afghanistan and still face losses? How about Syria and Iraq, etc.? They say, ‘we destroyed ISIL.’ What on earth?! You didn’t destroy it, you created it. Syrian, Iraqi, Lebanese and Iranian youth destroyed it.”

“US spent billions to arm ISIS. They continue to support them and when ISIL is surrounded, the US flies its helicopters to open ways for ISIL members to escape. The head of a country told me they could clearly observe through satellites that ISIL forces sold oil while backed by the US forces,” the Leader said.