Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Thursday that Iran will retaliate with strikes on U.S. bases if Washington launches further attacks.

In his first televised remarks since Israel and Iran signed a ceasefire on Monday, Mr. Khamenei said the attack on the U.S. military base in Qatar is an example of what Washington can expect if it continues to attack Iran.

“The Islamic Republic slapped America in the face. It attacked one of the important American bases in the region,” he said. “The fact that the Islamic Republic has access to important American centres in the region and can take action against them whenever it deems necessary is not a small incident, it is a major incident, and this incident can be repeated in the future if an attack is made.”

The Iranian attack, launched at the tail end of the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran, came in retaliation for U.S. strikes on three of Iran’s fortified enrichment facilities. The attack was heavily telegraphed, and U.S. defenses were able to neutralize most of the rockets launched at the Qatari base.

President Trump even thanked Iran earlier this week for informing U.S. leadership about the strike before it was launched.

Still, the attack and subsequent ceasefire have allowed all sides of the conflict to declare victory, with Israel and the U.S. confident that Iran’s enrichment facilities are sufficiently damaged and Iran pointing to its survival as evidence of a successful resistance.

The true strength of the ceasefire between Iran and Israel remains to be seen. If Iran’s enrichment facilities are recoverable, and Tehran decides to revamp its nuclear program, Israel and the U.S. could launch further strikes.

When asked if he would consider further strikes on Iranian enrichment sites on Wednesday, Mr. Trump said, “Sure.”

• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.