Iran could respond to any future U.S. attack by striking American military bases in the Middle East, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in his first televised remarks since a ceasefire was reached between Iran and Israel.

Khamenei, 86, 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 delivered a hard slap to the face of America. It attacked one of America’s key bases in the region,” Khamenei said.

His pre-recorded remarks were aired on state television, released on Thursday (June 26). 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 strike them whenever it deems necessary is no small matter; it is a major development. And this is an event that could very well be repeated in the future,” he added.

U.S. President Donald Trump said "Sure" on Wednesday (June 25) when asked if the United States would strike again if Iran rebuilt its nuclear enrichment program.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

UNKNOWN, IRAN (RELEASED JUNE 26, 2025) (POOL VIA WANA - No use BBC Persian. No use VOA Persian. No use Manoto. No use Iran International)

1. (SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER, AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI, SAYING:

"I feel it is necessary to offer congratulations to the great nation of Iran. I extend several congratulations to the people. One is for the victory over the fake Zionist regime. Despite all the noise and all the claims, the Zionist regime was nearly brought to its knees and crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic."

2. WHITE FLASH

3. (SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER, AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI, SAYING:

"The second congratulation is for the victory of our beloved Iran over the American regime. The American regime entered the war directly because it felt that, if it didn’t, the Zionist regime would be completely annihilated. It entered the war to save it (Israel), but gained nothing from this war."

4. WHITE FLASH

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER, AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI, SAYING:

"They attacked our nuclear facilities, which is, of course, subject to independent prosecution in international courts, but they were not able to achieve anything significant. The President of the United States made an unusual exaggeration in describing what had happened; it became clear that he needed this exaggeration. Anyone who heard those words understood that beneath the surface of those remarks, there was another underlying truth. They couldn’t do anything. They couldn’t achieve their intended goal."

6. WHITE FLASH

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER, AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI, SAYING (OVER FOUR SHOTS):

"The Islamic Republic delivered a hard slap to the face of America. It attacked one of America’s key bases in the region, Al Udeid air base, and inflicted damage. The same people who had exaggerated in that previous case tried to downplay this one - saying nothing had happened - while in reality, something significant had occurred. The fact that the Islamic Republic has access to important American centres in the region and can strike them whenever it deems necessary is no small matter; it is a major development. And this is an event that could very well be repeated in the future. If aggression occurs, the cost for both the enemy and the protester will certainly be high."