Iran on Sunday threatened to target US military bases across the Middle East in retaliation for devastating American airstrikes on its nuclear facilities.
Washington claimed the strikes had crippled Tehran’s nuclear programme, but US defence officials admitted the full extent of the damage remained uncertain.
Ali Akbar Velayati, senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that any country aiding the US would be treated as a legitimate target.
“Any nation used by American forces to attack Iran will be considered a lawful target by our armed forces,” he told state media. “America has attacked the heart of the Islamic world and must await irreparable consequences.”
US President Donald Trump defended the strikes, which hit nuclear sites in Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz, calling them a “spectacular military success” that “took the bomb out of their hands.”
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation had “devastated” Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and insisted it did not target civilians or military personnel. However, General Dan Caine admitted it was “too early” to confirm whether enriched uranium had been removed prior to the strike.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed the US would receive a response. Thousands protested in central Tehran, waving flags and chanting anti-American slogans.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the strikes, praying for Trump at the Western Wall and calling the operation “historic.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed visible craters at Fordo but said it had not detected radiation leaks.
In response, Iran launched missile attacks on Israeli sites, including Ben Gurion Airport, wounding at least 23 people. Israeli strikes on central Iran reportedly killed nine members of the Revolutionary Guards, bringing Iran’s death toll from Israeli air raids to over 400. Iran’s retaliatory attacks have claimed 24 lives, according to officials.
Tensions surged across the region as the UAE, Qatar, and Oman—previous mediators in Iran-US nuclear talks—condemned the US strikes and urged calm. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of an escalating cycle of retaliation.
Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen also renewed threats to resume Red Sea attacks, vowing to strike US vessels if Washington entered the conflict directly.