Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 26, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Iran's Supreme Leader warns of retaliation against US attacks, targeting American bases in the Middle East, following a ceasefire with Israel.
DUBAI (Reuters) -Iran would respond to any future U.S. attack by striking American military bases in the Middle East, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Thursday, in his first televised remarks since a ceasefire was reached between Iran and Israel.
Khamenei, 86, said any attack on Iran would come "great cost", and noted that Iran had fired on the largest U.S. base in the region, located in Qatar, after Washington joined the Israeli strikes.
"The Islamic Republic slapped America in the face. It attacked one of the important American bases in the region," Khamenei said.
His pre-recorded remarks were aired on state television. As in his last comments, released more than a week ago during the 12-day Israeli bombardment, he spoke from an undisclosed indoor location in front of a brown curtain, between an Iranian flag and a portrait of his predecessor Ruhollah Khomeini.
"The fact that the Islamic Republic has access to important American centres in the region and can take action against them whenever it deems necessary is not a small incident, it is a major incident, and this incident can be repeated in the future if an attack is made," he added.
U.S. President Donald Trump said "Sure" on Wednesday when asked if the United States would strike again if Iran rebuilt its nuclear enrichment programme.
(Reporting by Jana Choukeir, Writing by Nayera AbdallahEditing by William Maclean and Peter Graff)
Khamenei stated that any future U.S. attack would result in Iran striking back at American military bases in the Middle East, emphasizing that such an attack would come at a 'great cost.'
Iran had previously fired on the largest U.S. base in the region, located in Qatar, following U.S. involvement in Israeli strikes.
Khamenei claimed that the Islamic Republic's ability to target important American centers in the region is a significant development, indicating Iran's readiness to act when deemed necessary.
President Trump affirmed that the U.S. would strike again if Iran rebuilt its nuclear enrichment program, indicating a potential escalation in tensions.
Khamenei's remarks were pre-recorded and aired on state television from an undisclosed indoor location.
Explore more articles in the Headlines category
