Khamenei says Iran will strike back if US hits again, in first remarks since ceasefire

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has threatened to respond to any future US attack by striking American military bases in the Middle East, in his first public comments since a ceasefire with Israel was declared. Subscribe to Guardian News on YouTube ► http://bit.ly/guardianwiressub The 86-year-old, who has not been seen in public since taking shelter in a secret location after the outbreak of the war on 13 June, said his country had 'delivered a slap to America’s face' – a reference to an Iranian missile attack on a US base in Qatar on Monday, which caused no casualties Khamenei says Iran will strike back if US hits again in first remarks since ceasefire ► https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/26/ayatollah-ali-khamenei-threat-america-israel Middle East crisis – live updates ► https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/jun/26/donald-trump-strikes-iran-nuclear-programme-intelligence-israel-latest-updates-news Hegseth defends Iran strike amid doubts over Trump’s ‘obliteration’ claims ► https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/26/hegseth-iran-nuclear-strike-intel The Guardian publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian today ► https://bit.ly/3uhA7zg Sign up to the Guardian's free new daily newsletter, First Edition ► http://theguardian.com/first-edition Website ► https://www.theguardian.com Facebook ►https://www.facebook.com/theguardian Instagram ► https://instagram.com/guardian The Guardian on YouTube: The Guardian ► https://bit.ly/guardiannewssubs Guardian Australia ► https://bit.ly/guardianaussubs Guardian Football ► https://bit.ly/gdnfootballsubs Guardian Sport ► https://bit.ly/gdnsportsubs It's Complicated ► https://bit.ly/ItsComplicatedSubs Guardian Live ► https://bit.ly/guardianlivesubs #iran #ayatollahkhamenei #supremeleader #alikhamenei #usa #iranwar #israel #middleeast