Iran's Supreme Leader calls Trump a 'clown' during first sermon in eight years, and he just fired back in a tweet

President Donald Trump fired back at Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after he called him a "clown" in his first sermon in eight years.

The feud is the latest in escalating hostilities that were sparked by the drone strike death of Iranian military leader General Soleimani, who had been designated as a terror threat.

"The so-called 'Supreme Leader' of Iran, who has not been so Supreme lately, had some nasty things to say about the United States and Europe," tweeted Trump on Friday.

"Their economy is crashing, and their people are suffering," he added. "He should be very careful with his words!"

The president was responding to criticism Khamenei had lobbed in his sermon where he called Trump a "clown" and said he would negotiate with any country other than the United States.

The Iranian regime is under intense pressure from their own citizens protesting against the extremist policies that have led to a declining economy. Protesters were also outraged when the regime admitted shooting down a passenger plane taking off from Tehran after initially denying it.

Khameini warned his people that Trump was only pretending to be their friend, and said that he would "push a poisonous dagger" in their back.

"The noble people of Iran—who love America—deserve a government that's more interested in helping them achieve their dreams than killing them for demanding respect," the president said in a second tweet.

"Instead of leading Iran toward ruin, its leaders should abandon terror and Make Iran Great Again!" he added.

Here's a video of the sermon from Khamenei:

www.youtube.com