Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned in two state-television addresses — the first on 26 June and a follow-up on 16 July — that Tehran will strike United States military bases in the Middle East if the Islamic Republic is subjected to any renewed attacks. The cleric said Iran is capable of delivering “even stronger blows” than the missile and drone barrage it launched during last month’s 12-day conflict with Israel, citing the January strike on the U.S. Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar as evidence of Iran’s reach. Khamenei’s comments were his first since a U.S.-brokered cease-fire halted hostilities with Israel on 24 June. He accused Washington and Tel Aviv of trying to undermine Iran’s leadership through targeted killings and strikes on nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, and insisted the country would respond from a position of strength “in both diplomacy and warfare.” The remarks complicate efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear accord. The United States and its European partners have set the end of August as an informal deadline for progress, while Iran’s parliament has ruled out any resumption of negotiations unless it receives assurances against future military action. Western diplomats have warned that failure to reach a deal could trigger the snap-back of United Nations sanctions.