Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, has celebrated the missile strikes against American forces stationed in Iraq, saying that his military had dealt the United States a “slap in the face.” In a televised address the morning after the Tuesday night strikes, Khamenei warned U.S. forces that there were more attacks to come as long as they remain in Iraq. “What matters is that the presence of America, which is a source of corruption in this region, should could come to an end,” he said, followed by crowd chants of “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” The supreme leader appeared to rule out “sitting at the negotiating table” with American envoys, because he said that would allow for more American intervention in the region. “This region,” he said, “does not accept the U.S. presence.” He didn’t offer any more details about the strikes on Tuesday night. There have been no reports of any casualties from the strikes so far.
