Iran calls peace pact ‘declaration of US defeat’

A billboard portraying Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei (left) and his late father is seen next to a highway in Tehran. The new leader has not been seen in public since his father and some other members of his family were killed on Feb 28, and is believed to be recovering from serious injuries. (Photo: AFP)

TEHRAN - Iran called the deal it struck to end the Middle East war “a declaration of America’s defeat” on Wednesday, as the top US diplomat kicked off a tour of Gulf countries hit hardest by Tehran.

The war that began with a massive US-Israeli campaign of strikes against Iran on February 28 ended with the Islamic republic striking an agreement its leaders have sought to portray as a victory.