--- description: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran would respond to any future attack by striking U.S. military bases. title: Iran Threatens to Attack More U.S. Military Bases image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdd6a7c7f3c012c24/6998c7d31500fb53a7aa6632/GettyImages-2220124150.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Iran](/tag/iran/) ## Iran Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Iran's Supreme Leader Threatens to Attack More U.S. Military Bases: “We Slapped America in the Face” ## Video: White House Says the U.S. is 'On a Diplomatic Path With Iran' [Watch (HLS stream): White House Says the U.S. is 'On a Diplomatic Path With Iran'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/yR9VMhV2.m3u8) (1:50)  _Published 2025-06-26. White House says U.S. President Donald Trump has ended "the immediate threat" of Iranian nuclear program Press secretary Karoline Leavitt began Thursday's briefing by touting a U.S. mission that "will go down in the history books" as an "overwhelming success." She also said Trump "wants peace" and U.S. officials are in communication with Iranian leaders._ by [Callum Sutherland](/author/callum-sutherland/) ## Callum Sutherland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Jun 26, 2025 1:07 PM CUT  Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said the Iranian people would never surrender, as he addressed the nation in a state television broadcast on June 18, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said the Iranian people would never surrender, as he addressed the nation in a state television broadcast on June 18, 2025 in Tehran, Iran.Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran—Getty Images by [Callum Sutherland](/author/callum-sutherland/) ## Callum Sutherland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Jun 26, 2025 1:07 PM CUT Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that Iran would respond to any further U.S. attacks by [targeting American military bases](https://time.com/7296830/iran-qatar-air-base-trump/ "undefined") in the Middle East, while declaring what he described as a "total victory" over Israel. “The Islamic Republic slapped America in the face. It attacked one of the important American bases in the region,” Khamenei said during his first televised remarks since [a ceasefire was reached](https://time.com/7297049/iran-israel-ceasefire-trump/ "undefined") to end the 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel. On Monday, Tehran launched 19 ballistic missiles at Al Udeid Air Base, a [U.S. airbase in Qatar](https://time.com/7296830/iran-qatar-air-base-trump/ "undefined"), in response to an American attack on three nuclear program sites inside Iran. All but one of the missiles were intercepted by air defenses, and no American or Qatari personnel were [reported injured](https://apnews.com/article/al-udeid-air-base-military-qatar-iran-501e9e64e80480ef3aa4ee43c1243235 "undefined") in the attack. “Such an action can be repeated in the future too. Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price,” the Ayatollah [warned](https://x.com/khamenei%5Fir/status/1938189238324941169 "undefined"), adding that Iran has “access to key U.S. centers in the region.” **Read more:** [_Where the U.S. Could Face More Retaliation From Iran_](https://time.com/7297022/iran-missiles-trump-attacks/ "undefined") **Read more:** [_What Is the Strait of Hormuz and What Impact Could It Have on International Trade If Iran Closes It?_](https://time.com/7296861/strait-of-hormuz-function-iran-closure-threat-impact-trade/ "undefined") The Iranian strike followed a major U.S. military operation [on June 21](https://time.com/7296469/u-s-strikes-iran-nuclear-trump-war/ "undefined"), in which American forces targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities. President Donald Trump later claimed the attacks [“obliterated” ](https://time.com/7297698/nato-2025-summit-trump-iran-ukraine-defense-topics/ "undefined")Iran’s nuclear capability. However, leaked U.S. intelligence suggests that the damage to Iran’s nuclear program may not be as severe as Trump has alluded. CIA director John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday that the sites had been “severely damaged” by the strikes, short of the damage described by the President. Khamenei also [criticized](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/israel-iran-conflict-us-trump-06-26-25-intl-hnk#cmcd8j2kc001f3b6nb2hue1r7 "undefined") President Trump’s call for the Islamic Republic’s “unconditional surrender”, [posted on TruthSocial ](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114699621000737127 "undefined")on June 17, calling it "unacceptable and illogical." Earlier in the conflict, Trump had suggested the possibility of regime change in Iran. “If the current Iranian Regime is unable to make Iran great again, why wouldn’t there be a regime change???” [he said](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114729009239087163 "undefined"). But on Tuesday, en route to the NATO Summit, Trump appeared to backtrack. “I’d like to see everything calm down as quickly as possible,” [he told reporters](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOKfUQyOiJI "undefined") onboard Air Force One. The conflict began after Israel attacked military and nuclear facilities across Iran on June 13, [killing key military and scientific personnel](https://time.com/7293886/iranian-generals-scientists-targets-killed-by-israeli-strikes/ "undefined"). After the strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [described](https://time.com/7294186/israel-warns-tehran-will-burn-deadly-strikes-traded-nuclear-program/ "undefined") Operation Rising Lion as an attack to “roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival” and that “[the goal](https://x.com/netanyahu/status/1933626898242056488 "undefined") of Israel's operation is to prevent the nuclear and ballistic missile threat of the Islamic regime.” **Read more:** [_Air Supremacy Over Tehran Gives Israel a Decisive Edge—And Raises New Risks_](https://time.com/7294919/israel-air-supremacy-tehran-iran/ "undefined") Khamenei told viewers on Thursday that the U.S. had only intervened because “if it didn’t, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed,” claiming that Israel “was practically knocked out and crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic.” During the almost two week-long conflict, 974 Iranians were killed in Israeli missile strikes, including 387 civilians and 268 military personnel, according to the[ Human Rights Activists News Agency.](https://www.en-hrana.org/the-eleventh-day-of-israeli-strikes-key-developments/ "undefined") In Israel, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed a total of [28 people killed](https://www.gov.il/en/pages/operation-rising-lion-update "undefined") as a result of Iranian missile strikes. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7297975/iran-trump-khamenei-israel-war-attack/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7297975/iran-trump-khamenei-israel-war-attack/"},"headline":"Iran's Supreme Leader Threatens to Attack More U.S. Military Bases: “We Slapped America in the Face”","datePublished":"2025-06-26T13:07:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-11T01:04:36.915Z","description":"Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran would respond to any future attack by striking U.S. military bases.","url":"https://time.com/7297975/iran-trump-khamenei-israel-war-attack/","keywords":["Iran"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdd6a7c7f3c012c24/6998c7d31500fb53a7aa6632/GettyImages-2220124150.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Callum Sutherland","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdd6a7c7f3c012c24/6998c7d31500fb53a7aa6632/GettyImages-2220124150.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Israel Launches Strikes Against Iran","caption":"Israel Launches Strikes Against Iran","creditText":"Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/iran/","name":"Iran"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7297975/iran-trump-khamenei-israel-war-attack/","name":"Iran's Supreme Leader Threatens to Attack More U.S. Military Bases: “We Slapped America in the Face”"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"White House Says the U.S. is 'On a Diplomatic Path With Iran'","description":"White House says U.S. President Donald Trump has ended \"the immediate threat\" of Iranian nuclear program Press secretary Karoline Leavitt began Thursday's briefing by touting a U.S. mission that \"will go down in the history books\" as an \"overwhelming success.\" She also said Trump \"wants peace\" and U.S. officials are in communication with Iranian leaders.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/yR9VMhV2/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2025-06-26T19:37:03.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/yR9VMhV2.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/7297975/iran-trump-khamenei-israel-war-attack/","duration":"PT1M50S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/7297975/iran-trump-khamenei-israel-war-attack/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```