Published on
26/05/2026 - 17:30 GMT+2
Iran's Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei declared in his first major public statement since taking office that regional countries would no longer serve as staging grounds for US military bases, after US Central Command acknowledged carrying out strikes on missile sites and boats in southern Iran overnight.
In a 14-page written message marking the Eid al-Adha holiday and the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Khamenei said the US "in addition to no longer having any safe haven in the region for aggression and the establishment of military bases, is moving further and further away from its former position with each passing day."
"The hands of time will not turn backwards, and the nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for American bases," he added.
