Khamenei: US Bases No Longer Safe in Mideast

Even with peace talks advancing, tensions remained high in Iran. On Tuesday, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned that US military bases throughout the Mideast will no longer be safe in the long run, part of what he sees as a big-picture shift:

• "The hands of time do not turn backward, and the nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for American bases," he wrote, reports the New York Times. "America, in addition to no longer having a safe place for aggression and military bases in the region, is moving further away from its former status day by day," said Khamenei, who has not made a public appearance since being injured at the start of the war. His statement marked the start of Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.

• Iran's Revolutionary Guards, meanwhile, warned they would hit back hard against any US attacks, reports the BBC. The rhetoric came after the US made what it called defensive strikes late Monday on missile launch sites and boats in southern Iran. Iran's state news agency reported the Guards had downed a US drone and fired on a fighter jet, claims that could not be independently confirmed.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, said a peace deal is possible in "a few days," per Reuters. A key sticking point is Iran's enriched uranium. On Monday evening, President Trump said he expected Tehran to surrender or destroy its stockpiles, even as an Iranian spokesman insisted nuclear details were not on the table.