Iran’s top security official has warned that the Islamic Republic will continue to target U.S. military bases in the Middle East amid a rapidly escalating conflict following recent U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian soil.
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, wrote in a post on X that Tehran’s retaliation is directed at American military installations, not the governments or populations of the host countries.
He said bases hosting U.S. forces are treated as American territory and therefore legitimate targets for Iran’s armed forces in the ongoing confrontation.
“We do not intend to attack regional countries. But when the bases located in those countries are used against us, and when the United States carries out operations in the region relying on those forces, we will target those bases,” Larijani wrote, reinforcing that Iran’s focus is on U.S. assets.
This comes amid a broader exchange of strikes between Iran, the United States, and Israel after joint U.S.–Israeli air operations earlier this week targeted Iranian leadership and military sites, leading to significant casualties, including senior figures within Iran’s leadership.
In response, Iran has launched waves of ballistic missiles and drones hitting U.S. bases across several Gulf states and military facilities in Israel.
Iranian officials also announced that dozens of U.S. military bases throughout the region have so far been struck and suggested that further waves of attacks may follow.
These actions have heightened tensions with Gulf states that host U.S. forces, some of which have strongly condemned the strikes as violations of their sovereignty.
Larijani’s statements underline Tehran’s position that the current conflict is a direct response to foreign military actions against Iran, and that Tehran considers U.S. regional basing infrastructure to be integral to those actions.
