Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has declared that the era of Gulf nations sheltering American military bases is over, delivering the stark message in a written statement broadcast by state television on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.
“The nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for American bases,” Khamenei stated, adding that the United States is steadily losing its former dominance in the region with each passing day.
The remarks come against the backdrop of ongoing US-Iran exchanges aimed at securing a deal to end a war that erupted on February 28 and rapidly engulfed the wider region.
A fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 8, though both sides have continued to trade accusations of violations.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced on Tuesday that they had downed a US drone and fired on additional aircraft attempting to breach Iranian airspace. In a stern warning, the Guards declared their right to a reciprocal response “legitimate and certain” should ceasefire violations continue.
The US Central Command, meanwhile, confirmed that its forces struck missile sites in southern Iran and intercepted boats allegedly attempting to lay mines — actions taken despite the active ceasefire. Explosions were reported in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, though Iran has yet to formally acknowledge the attack.
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, assumed leadership following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening US-Israel strikes of February 28 — the incident that triggered Iran’s sweeping retaliatory offensive across the region.
