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Iran will not hesitate to bomb more US air bases in the Middle East, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned.
In his first public appearance since the US attacked Iran’s three nuclear facilities on Sunday morning, Khamenei claimed the Islamic Republic had access to “key US centres” and would take action “when necessary”.
He also claimed Iran had won a victory over Israel and the US, delivering a “slap to the US’s face” by attacking its Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
“Such an action can be repeated in the future too. Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price,” Khamenei said.
Seven US stealth bombers dropped 14 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs on Iran’s nuclear facilities earlier this week.
Just how much damage was caused remains unclear. A leaked Defense Intelligence Agency assessment found that Trump's airstrikes had only set back the country's nuclear program by a matter of a few months.
Pete Hegseth, along with military officials, will hold briefing about the strikes at 8am EST (1pm BST) at the Pentagon, "in order to fight for the Dignity of our Great American Pilots," the US president wrote on Truth Social.
Escalating war in the Middle East: Ask our world affairs editor anything
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The Middle East is on edge. Over a week has passed since the war between Israel and the Islamic Republic began. A shaky ceasefire is holding between Israel and Iran – but for how long?
Alexander Butler26 June 2025 12:30
Iran will attack more US airbases if needed, Khamenei warns
Iran will not hesitate to bomb more US airbases across the Middle East, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned.
Khamenei said the Islamic Republic had access to “key US centres” in the region and would “take action whenever it deems necessary”.
“Such an action can be repeated in the future too”, Khamenei said.
“Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price.”
Alexander Butler26 June 2025 11:59
Khamenei says Iran delivered a 'heavy slap' to the US
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the US “achieved nothing” in entering the war between Iran and Israel.
“My congratulations on our dear Iran’s victory over the US regime. The US regime entered the war directly because it felt that if it didn’t, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed. It entered the war in an effort to save that regime but achieved nothing,” he said in a statement posted to X.
“The Islamic Republic delivered a heavy slap to the US’s face. It attacked and inflicted damage on the Al-Udeid Air Base, which is one of the key US bases in the region.”
Rachel Clun26 June 2025 11:45
Iran claims Israel was 'crushed' in 12-day war
In comments on X, Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei claimed his regime beat Israel during the 12-day war.
“With all that commotion and all those claims, the Zionist regime was practically knocked out and crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic,” the post said.
Rachel Clun26 June 2025 11:24
Iran's supreme leader says US entered war to save Israel
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that the US entered the war to save Israel.
He said the US felt that if it did not enter the war, Irsael would be completely destroyed, according to Reuters.
Rachel Clun26 June 2025 11:21
Pete Hegseth holding Pentagon press conference to celebrate ‘very upset’ B-2 pilots involved in Iran raid
President Donald Trump has announced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will host a press conference on Thursday “in order to fight for the Dignity of our Great American Pilots” amid the ongoing row over the extent of the damage done to Iran’s nuclear facilities during Saturday’s B-2 bombing raid.
“These Patriots were very upset! After 36 hours of dangerously flying through Enemy Territory, they landed, they knew the Success was LEGENDARY, and then, two days later, they started reading Fake News by CNN and The Failing New York Times. They felt terribly!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The administration was quick to declare that “Operation Midnight Hammer” – which saw the U.S. join Israel’s offensive against Tehran by dropping “bunker-busting” Mass Ordnance Penetrator bombs on its Fordo, Natanz, and Esfahan facilities – had been a complete success and “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Joe Sommerlad26 June 2025 11:11
Iran's Supreme Leader celebrates "victory" over Israel
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has celebrated Iran’s “victory” over Israel in a post on X.
“I offer my congratulations on the victory over the fallacious Zionist regime,” he said.
Rachel Clun26 June 2025 10:56
Iran's 'Axis of Resistance' is in disarray, bringing hope to families of Gaza hostages
Families of hostages held in Gaza say now is the perfect time to put pressure on Hamas to release them, after the US strikes on Iran gave hope that there is a window of opportunity to secure their freedom.
Over the past four decades, Iran built up a network of militant proxy groups it called the "Axis of Resistance" that wielded significant power across the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and militias in Iraq and Syria.
Hamas may have envisioned the October 7, 2023, attack as a catalyst that would see other Iranian-sponsored militants attack Israel. While Hezbollah and the Houthis launched projectiles toward Israel, the support Hamas had counted on never fully materialized. In the past two years, many of those Iranian proxies have been decimated, changing the face of the Middle East.
U.S. President Donald Trump's involvement in securing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran has also given many hostage families hope that he might exert more pressure for a deal in Gaza.
The Israeli government team coordinating hostage negotiations has told the families it now sees a window of opportunity that could force Hamas to be "more flexible in their demands," said Liran Berman, whose twin brother has been held captive in Gaza for 629 days.
"Now it's the time to pressure them and tell them, look, you are on your own. No one is coming to your help. This is it," Berman said.
AP, Rachel Clun26 June 2025 10:56
Iran's leader to deliver televised address shortly
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will deliver a televised address shortly, according to his official X account.
Rachel Clun26 June 2025 10:44
Trump calls for Netanyahu corruption trial to be scrapped claiming its a ‘witch-hunt’
Donald Trump vowed to “save” Benjamin Netanyahu as he hit out at the Israeli prime minister’s “witch-hunt” corruption trial.
Trump claimed Israel’s prime minister was a “great hero” and “warrior” who faced politically motivated charges and called for the trial to be cancelled.
The president’s intervention comes as Netanyahu’s cross-examination, which began on 4 June, is set to resume on Monday. He faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust and denies all of them.
“Bibi Netanyahu’s trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State,” Trump said on Truth Social.
Netanyahu was indicted in 2019. He pleaded not guilty after the trial, involving three criminal cases, began in 2020.
Read the full report below:
Rachel Clun26 June 2025 10:28
