Mehdi Fazaeli, a member of the Leader’s office, reacted by posting four historical images highlighting past confrontations between Iran and the US. The images referred to the failed US military operation in Iran’s Tabas desert in 1980, the detention of US Navy boats in the Persian Gulf in 2016, Iran’s missile strike on the Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq in 2020, and a Iranian missile response targeting the US al-Udeid base in Qatar in 2025.
Alongside the images, Fazaeli addressed Musk directly, writing in Persian: “Ask your elders,” a phrase widely interpreted as a warning referencing historical precedents and past US setbacks.
The response comes amid heightened rhetoric following recent statements by Trump regarding Iran. It also follows remarks by Iran’s Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei earlier this month, delivered during a meeting with families of those killed in the 12-day war.
In that address, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that Iran would not retreat in the face of its enemies and said the country, relying on divine support and public backing, would ultimately prevail. Musk had replied the tweet in Persian, questioning the Leader’s remarks.
