An Iranian man walks past an image of former and the current Iranian supreme leaders, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L), Ali Khamenei and his son current leader Mojtaba Khamenei (R), at Imam Khomeini Mosque (Mosalla) during a commemoration for those killed in former wars and also those killed during the latest US-Israel led war, in Tehran on May 24, 2026. (Credit: Atta Kenare/AFP)
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said on Tuesday that regional countries would no longer be shields for U.S. bases, in a written statement carried by state television.
"What is certain in this regard is that 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," said Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since he took office in March, in a message marking the Eid al-Adha holiday.
He said the United States "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 remarks come as Iran and the United States continued negotiations aimed at reaching a deal to end the war which began on Feb. 28 and spread across the region.
A fragile cease-fire has been in place since April 8.
Iran's foreign ministry has said Tehran and Washington reached understandings on many issues in exchanges over a deal for ending the war, but warned an agreement was not yet imminent.
On Tuesday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had downed a U.S. drone and shot at other aircraft attempting to enter the country's airspace, without specifying when the incidents took place.
In a statement, the Guards further warned "against any violation of the ceasefire by the aggressor U.S. military and considers its right to reciprocal response legitimate and certain."
On Monday, the U.S. Central Command said forces attacked missile sites in southern Iran and boats trying to lay mines, despite the cease-fire.
Iran has not officially confirmed the U.S. attack, but state media reported blasts in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas without specifying their source.
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, succeeded his father Ali Khamenei who was killed in the opening U.S.-Israel strikes of Feb. 28, triggering retaliatory attacks by Tehran across the region.
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