In the months since Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei became the supreme leader following the assassination of his father, he has been characterized by the U.S. government as an ineffectual leader, and possibly even dead.

But in the last several days, that rhetoric has pivoted — concurrent with a surprise statement on Thursday from the ayatollah, declaring victory over “imperialism, led by the U.S.” and its “military base called Israel.”