Iran would respond to any future US 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, claimed victory after 12 days of war, culminating in an Iranian attack on the largest US base in the region, located in Qatar, after Washington joined the Israeli strikes.
My congratulations on our dear Iran’s victory over the US regime. The US regime entered the war directly because it felt that if it didn’t, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed. It entered the war in an effort to save that regime but achieved nothing.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) June 26, 2025
"The Islamic Republic slapped America in the face. It attacked one of the important American bases in the region," Khamenei said.
Read: US Intelligence report contradicts Trump’s claim on Iran nuclear strikes success
As in his last comments, released more than a week ago during the 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.
Iran will not surrender
In his pre-recorded remarks, aired on state television, Khamenei promised that Iran would not surrender despite US President Donald Trump's calls.
"The US President Trump unveiled the truth and made it clear that Americans won't be satisfied with anything less than surrender... such an event will never happen," Khamenei said.
"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.
Read More: Iran restores internet access following ceasefire with Israel
Trump said "sure" on Wednesday when asked if the US would strike again if Iran rebuilt its nuclear enrichment programme.
Tehran has for decades denied accusations by Western leaders that it is seeking nuclear arms and maintains that its nuclear enrichment programme is purely for civilian purposes.
'No gain'
Khamenei said the US "gained no achievement" after it attacked Iranian nuclear sites, but that it entered the war to "save" Israel after Tehran's missiles broke through Israel's multi-layered defence system.
"The US directly entered the war as it felt that if it did not get involved, the Zionist regime (Israel) would be fully destroyed. It entered the war to save it," he said.
"The US attacked our nuclear facilities, but couldn't do any important deed...The US president did abnormal showmanship and needed to do so," he added.
Trump said over the weekend that the US deployment of 30,000-pound bombs had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear programme. However, this appeared to be contradicted by an inital assessment from one of his administration's intelligence agencies, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also declared "a historic victory" on Tuesday, after the fragile ceasefire took effect, saying Israel had achieved its goal of removing Tehran's nuclear and ballistic missile threat.
Shortly after Khamenei's speech, Netanyahu posted a message with a picture of himself and Trump holding hands with the message: "We will continue to work together to defeat our common enemies
My congratulations on our dear Iran’s victory over the US regime. The US regime entered the war directly because it felt that if it didn’t, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed. It entered the war in an effort to save that regime but achieved nothing.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) June 26, 2025
Eastern airspace partially reopened
Meanwhile, Iran has announced the partial reopening of its eastern airspace following a ceasefire with Israel that ended 12 days of war.
“The airspace of the eastern half of the country has been reopened for domestic and international flights, as well as flights passing through Iran’s airspace,” Majid Akhavan, spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, stated on X.
Also read: Global turmoil If Iran shuts Strait of Hormuz — but Pakistan may get a pass
However, Akhavan confirmed that flights from Mehrabad Airport in Tehran and Imam Khomeini International Airport, located 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of the capital, remain suspended until further notice, as reported by Anadolu Agency.
The decision to reopen part of Iran’s airspace comes after a ceasefire agreement brokered by the US, which put an end to 12 days of clashes between Iran and Israel.
The war began on June 13 when Israel launched unprovoked airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear and military sites, prompting a retaliatory missile and drone assault by Tehran on Israeli targets.
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