Iran’s Supreme Leader ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered a nationally televised address Thursday morning, a day after the International Court of Justice handed the Islamic Republic a victory and the United States abrogated a friendship treaty with Iran.

The leader of the embattled country admitted that Iran is under “economic pressure” but insisted “we are not at an impasse”. He added that the Islamic Republic has “imperfections” but is not facing a dead-end.

A day after the World Court ordered the U.S. to ensure its sanctions don’t impact humanitarian needs, Khamenei said Iran will deliver a slap and defeat America by defeating sanctions.

The speech was delivered in a stadium, “in the presence tens of thousands of Baseejis”, who are paramilitary forces under the command of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).

Most of Khamenei’s remarks were directed at the adversaries of the Islamic Republic, mainly the U.S.

He said, “Recently, the U.S. president told European leaders to wait two or three months and they [Iran’s regime] will vanish…this poor guy tries to keep himself and his colleagues upbeat”.

He added, “Some naggers say don’t bash America, so they don’t become your enemy, but, a great Islamic power has risen in the region and America is afraid of it.”

The leader who has ruled Iran with an iron fist for nearly thirty years turned his ire against dissidents “intellectuals”, saying that they refuse to accept that America is enemy with Iran and propose a surrender. “If they are not enemy agents, then at least they are not agents of [Iran’s} progress either”.

He also attacked Iran’s “enemies” for using new media platforms to “paint the wrong picture” and influence Iranian public opinion.

This remark shows the impact of social media in Iran and the degree of concern the authorities have about its role.

Following the court decision at the Hague, the U.S. abrogated a decades old friendship treaty with Iran that Tehran relied upon in its legal case against Washington.