Iran's top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said Iran will respond to any US attack by attacking US military bases in the Middle East. This was his first statement since the ceasefire between Iran and Israel took effect.
In a speech recorded and broadcast on national television on June 26, Mr. Khamenei said that Iran had dealt a blow to the US when it attacked Washington's largest military base in Qatar after the US participated in airstrikes with Israel. He stood speaking between the Iranian flag and the portrait of his predecessor Ruhollah Khomeini, from an un disclosed location.
According to him, the attack on the US base is a major event and could be repeated if Iran is attacked again. Iran can attack key US centers in the region at any time as needed, he said.
Mr. Khamenei also rejected US President Donald Trump's call for Iran to surrender. The US president has exposed the truth when he said that the US will not be satisfied if Iran does not fully surrender. That will never happen, he said.
He said the US had failed to achieve any feats after attacking Iran's nuclear facilities, and only fought to save Israel after the Iranian missile overcame its multi-layered defense system. The US enters conflict to save the jewish regime, because otherwise, they believe Israel will be completely destroyed, he added.
Previously, President Trump affirmed that the use of phaotics had "erased" Iran's nuclear program. However, this seems to contradict the preliminary assessment from an intelligence agency in his administration, according to some sources familiar with the matter.
On the Israeli side, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also declared a historic victory, saying that he had completed the goal of eliminating the nuclear and ballistic missile threat from Tehran. Immediately after Khamenei's speech, Mr. Netanyahu posted a photo with Mr. Trump with the message: "We will continue to cooperate to defeat common enemy".
