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Safe haven threatened
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei warned that Gulf countries would no longer protect US military bases in the region if tensions increase, saying the United States would no longer have a safe position in the Middle East during any future conflict.
“the United States would no longer have a safe position in the Middle East during any future conflict”
In the same statement shared on Tuesday through the telegram channel linked to Khamenei, Iran said the United States would no longer have a safe haven for its “mischief” or for establishing military bases in the region.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had the right to respond to any violations of the ceasefire with the US, and Iranian state media reported that the IRGC claimed to have shot down a US MQ-9 drone.
The reports also said an American RQ-4 drone and an F-35 fighter jet entered Iranian airspace before leaving the area, as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said negotiations with Iran could still take several days.
Rubio confirmed that recent US strikes in southern Iran were defensive actions meant to protect American forces, and he said the Strait of Hormuz must remain open because it is important for global trade and energy supplies.
Ceasefire, drones, denials
Iran’s foreign ministry said the US violated the ceasefire with strikes in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province, adding that “Iran holds the US regime responsible for all the consequences resulting from these aggressive and unjustified actions”.
The US military described its actions as defensive, and the Express Tribune said US Central Command carried out fresh strikes designed "to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces" despite a ceasefire in place since early April.
Qatar rejected reports that it offered Iran $12 billion to help secure a deal with the United States, and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari called the reports false and said some groups were spreading misinformation.
In the same reporting, Iran’s IRGC reserved the “legitimate and definite” right to retaliate against any ceasefire violations by the US, with state media reporting it shot down a US MQ-9 drone and fired at a fighter jet that had entered Iranian airspace.
The Express Tribune also said Iran’s statement came after the US carried out strikes on Monday in southern Iran against targets including boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites.
Hajj message and regional order
Khamenei’s Hajj message urged Muslim nations to shape a new regional and global order beyond U.S. influence, and it said the “future belongs to the Muslim Ummah and the new Islamic civilisation.”
“The United States will no longer have a safe haven for its mischief”
In the message released by Iranian authorities, Khamenei told pilgrims that the United States would no longer have a “safe haven for its mischief and for establishing military bases in the region” and said it was “growing more distant from its former status day by day.”
The Pars Today account, citing the official website of the Office of the Leader, said the message emphasized Hajj rituals and symbolic practices as “timeless signs for all humanity” and described the “weapon of ‘Allahu Akbar’” as central to Iran’s reliance on Islamic symbols.
Pars Today also reported that the message was read in the plains of Arafat by Abdul Hossein Navvab, the Leader’s representative and head of Iranian Hajj pilgrims.
Kashmir Observer said the remarks came as tensions rose across West Asia following months of conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States, and it quoted Khamenei saying “The hands of time will not turn back” regarding US influence.