DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed victory over Israel and said his country had “delivered a hand slap to America’s face” on Thursday, in his first public comments since a ceasefire was declared in the war between the two countries.

Khamenei spoke in a video broadcast on Iranian state television, his first appearance since June 19, looking and sounding more tired than he did only a week ago.

He told viewers that the U.S. had only intervened in the war because “it felt that if it did not intervene, the Zionist regime would be utterly destroyed.”

But he said, however, that the U.S. “achieved no gains from this war.”

“The Islamic Republic was victorious and, in retaliation, delivered a hand slap to America’s face,” he said, in apparent reference to an Iranian missile attack on an American base in Qatar on Monday, which caused no casualties.

The 86-year-old Khamenei hasn’t been seen in public since taking shelter in a secret location after the outbreak of the war June 13 when Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities and targeted top military commanders and scientists.

Following an American attack on June 22 that hit the nuclear sites with bunker-buster bombs, U.S. President Donald Trump was able to help negotiate a ceasefire that came into effect on Tuesday.

In his appearance on Thursday, he sat in front of plain brown curtains to give his address, similar to his June 19 message.

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Today is Thursday, June 26, the 177th day of 2025. There are 188 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On June 26, 2015, in its 5-4 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across the country, ruling that state-level bans on same-sex marriage violated the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Also on this date:

In 1917, U.S. troops entered World War I as the first troops of the American Expeditionary Force landed in Saint-Nazaire, France.

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In 1945, the charter of the United Nations was signed by 50 countries in San Francisco.

In 1948, the Berlin Airlift began in earnest after the Soviet Union cut off land and water routes to the isolated western sector of Berlin.

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy visited West Berlin, where he delivered his famous speech expressing solidarity with the city’s residents, declaring: “Ich bin ein Berliner” (“I am a Berliner”).

In 1993, President Bill Clinton announced the U.S. had launched missiles against Iraqi targets because of “compelling evidence” Iraq had plotted to assassinate former President George H.W. Bush.

In 1996, in the case of United States v. Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court found that the Virginia Military Institute’s male-only admission policy violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. (VMI enrolled its first female cadets the following year.)

In 1997, the first Harry Potter novel, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling, was published in the United Kingdom. It was later released in the United States under the title “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”

In 2008, in District of Columbia v. Heller, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a handgun ban in the District of Columbia as it affirmed, 5-4, that an individual’s right to gun ownership is protected by the Second Amendment.

In 2013, in the case of United States v. Windsor, the U.S. Supreme Court gave the nation’s legally married same-sex couples equal federal footing with all other married Americans, and cleared the way for same-sex marriages to resume in California in a separate decision.

Today’s Birthdays:

Jazz musician-composer Dave Grusin is 91.
Singer Billy Davis Jr. is 87.
Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician Gilberto Gil is 83.
Basketball Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer is 72.
Musician Mick Jones (The Clash, Big Audio Dynamite) is 70.
Musician Chris Isaak is 69.
Cyclist Greg LeMond is 64.
Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe is 57.
Filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson is 55.
Actor Sean Hayes is 55.
Actor Chris O’Donnell is 55.
Actor Nick Offerman is 55.
Country musician Gretchen Wilson is 52.
Baseball Hall of Famer Derek Jeter is 51.
Actor Jason Schwartzman is 45.
Actor Aubrey Plaza is 41.
Actor-author Jennette McCurdy is 33.
Singer-actor Ariana Grande is 32.
Actor Jacob Elordi is 28.

Bongi Hlongwane’s mother and younger brother are not just good-luck charms. They brought great luck all the way from South Africa.

Hlongwane’s mother, Sherry Bhengu, and his brother Gift Bhengu, traveled to Minnesota last week to see their loved one play in-person for the first time on Wednesday.

Hlongwane scored two goals — only his second and third goals of the season — in the Loons’ 3-1 win over Houston Dynamo at Allianz Field.

After Hlongwane’s first goal, he hopped over the advertising boards and walked up into the stands to celebrate with them. Bhengu didn’t know her son was allowed to do that, but it made for a heartwarming scene.

“It was mixed emotions,” Bhengu told the Pioneer Press of seeing her son succeed in the goal right in front of them. “I was nervous, ready and feeling pride. I didn’t know what to think.”

The surreal experience paled in comparison to waking up in the middle of the night to watch games on Apple TV on the other side of the world. When Hlongwane scored Wednesday night, it was around 4 a.m. Thursday in his home country.

Speel steady

Loons rookie goalkeeper Wessel Speel allowed only one goal late in stoppage time on Wednesday, a big improvement after a rocky MLS debut in the 4-2 loss to San Diego on June 14.

While the late goal ruined a clean sheet, the 23-year-old Dutchman made one save and the overall evening was a vast departure after he got chipped from midfield and allowed a penalty kick to sneak underneath him against San Diego.

Speel also rewarded the faith head coach Eric Ramsay put in him and not going to fellow back-up Alec Smir as the team tries to cover for regular goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, who is with Team Canada in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Early plot twist

An uneventful first half ended on a potential game-changing call.

Michael Boxall was whistled for penalty for his right foot apparently hitting the right leg of Houston’s Sebastian Kowalczyk in stoppage time.

Referee Sergii Demianchuck pointed to the PK spot. Ramsay and fans at Allianz Field were dismayed.

But Demianchuck went to the monitor for review and determined the contact happened outside the box and Houston’s free kick ended up being harmless to the Loons.

Three tidbits

After a scoreless first half, the Loons (9-4-6, 33 points) surged to avoid a letdown against Houston (5-9-5, 20 points). … With Canada playing at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, St. Clair, Oluwaseyi and coach Jesse Marsch watched Loons in St. Paul on Wednesday. … With Speel running out of short-term loans, a first-team contract, via one of the supplemental roster spots, is in the Dutchman’s near future.

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What’s better than one French center?

Two.

That’s the route Minnesota is taking, as the Timberwolves nabbed Joan Beringer to backup Rudy Gobert. Beringer, 18, was drafted with the No. 17 overall pick in the first round of Wednesday’s NBA draft. The 6-foot-11 Frenchman played last season for Cedevita Olimpija in Slovenia.

“I’m happy. I’m very happy,” Beringer said. “And also to play with Rudy Gobert, it’s an amazing feeling.”

Beringer, who stands at 6 foot 11 with a 7 foot, 4.5 inch wingspan, just started playing basketball four years ago but has impressed with his athleticism, size and motor as he’s climbed the French ranks. He was touted as one of the best, if not the best, rim protector in this year’s draft class, with the athleticism to play a variety of defensive coverages.

He’s a lob threat and a rim runner who fits well into the young group of athletes Minnesota is assembling. Despite his youth, Beringer will come to America and join the Wolves’ organization this next season.

There is an opening for a center of the future within Minnesota’s organization with Gobert at 33 years old. The Wolves played largely sans a true backup center last season.

The Timberwolves also have some questions about frontcourt depth this offseason with both Naz Reid and Julius Reid having player options this summer that, if they were to be declined, could allow both forwards to enter free agency this offseason. Wolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly has stated the team’s goal is to retain both players.

But Beringer feels like a pick with the distant future in mind. Minnesota is in a position with a currently competitive roster to where it can continue to add young talent to its cupboard in a new apron salary cap era, where cores can only be kept together for so long.

On his Game Theory live podcast Thursday night, draft analyst Sam Vecenie said the Beringer selection was “like the easiest pick in the world.”

“Beringer is a real developmental player. He is an incredible athlete. Like an unbelievable athlete,” Vecenie said. “Super long arms, great hands, catches everything in his area. Moves like a wing. Moves at a level that no other big in this class really achieves.”

Yes, Vecenie acknowledged Beringer is “raw.” It will take time for the big man to grow into a contributing role for the Wolves.

“There is legitimately no better player for Beringer to learn from in the NBA than Rudy Gobert, because this is the exact archetype. This is exactly what it is,” Vecenie said. “So I think this is a great pick from Tim Connelly. I think it makes a ton of sense, and I am a huge fan of what they’ve done here.”

Now it’s on the Wolves to commit to Beringer’s development. That’s been a strength of Minnesota’s in recent years. And the teenager seems committed to the work. When asked what his message to Wolves fans is, Beringer responded, “I will give everything for you.”

“I will give my energy, my defense. I want to improve to be the best and I want to keep on this way,” Beringer said. “To practice hard every day, this is my goal. I’m very happy to have the chance to play for Minnesota.”

As Boston showed this week, when it had to trade Kristaps Porizingis and Jrue Holiday from its 2024 title team to duck under the second apron, financial constraints will force teams to continue to turn pages from one edition of their rosters to the next every couple seasons to remain in salary cap compliance.

So, while trading draft picks for players who can upgrade the roster in the moment may be intriguing, selecting players like Beringer who can come in, develop and eventually contribute on cost-controlled contracts helps extend Minnesota’s competitive window for years to come with Anthony Edwards serving as the focal point.

The presence of a fellow countryman like Gobert will not only help Beringer make the transition to living in America, but it’s also a prototype of the dominant defensive player Beringer can hope to emulate in years to come as Minnesota hopes to maintain a consistent defensive, physical identity around its superstar.

This is another step in that direction.

Minnesota also owns the No. 31 pick in this draft, which will be the first selection in the second round on Thursday.

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