‘Game isn't over': Iran vows retaliation as Pezeshkian says US 'must receive response to their aggression'

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday that the United States must 'receive a response' to attacks on nuclear sites in the Islamic republic during a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron. read more
This handout satellite picture provided by Maxar Technologies and taken on June 22, 2025, shows damage after US strikes on the Isfahan nuclear enrichment facility in central Iran.- AFP Photo
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian told French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday that the United States must 'receive a response' for its strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, signalling Tehran's intent to retaliate.
'The Americans must receive a response to their aggression,' Pezeshkian told the French leader, according to the official IRNA news agency.
His comments came as a top advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that the 'game isn't over' and hinted that US military bases in the region could 'will be considered legitimate targets.'
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'Any country in the region or elsewhere that is used by American forces to strike Iran will be considered a legitimate target for our armed forces,' said Ali Akbar Velayati in a message carried by the official IRNA news agency.
'The United States 'no longer' has a place in the Middle East after it conducted strikes against nuclear facilities in the Islamic republic,' he said.
'America has attacked the heart of the Islamic world and must await irreparable consequences, because the Islamic Republic does not tolerate any insult or aggression against itself,' he added.
Iran also said that it was ready to defend itself by 'all necessary means' after unprecedented US strikes on its nuclear facilities.
'Iran is resolutely determined to defend its national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national security and people by all necessary means,' foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei posted on X, condemning what he described as an 'unconscionable act of aggression – perpetrated by a nuclear-armed state… against a non-nuclear weapon country'.
Meanwhile, The Trump administration on Sunday signaled a willingness to renew talks with Iran and avoid a prolonged war in the aftermath of a surprise attack on three of the country's nuclear sites as U.S. officials assessed Tehran's nuclear ambitions and the threat of retaliation against American interests.
The coordinated messaging by his vice president, Pentagon chief, top military adviser and secretary of state suggested a confidence that any fallout would be manageable and that Iran's lack of military capabilities would ultimately force it back to the bargaining table.
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Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a news conference that America 'does not seek war' with Iran while Vice President JD Vance said the strikes have given Tehran the possibility of returning to negotiate with Washington.
'This mission was not and has not been about regime change,' Hegseth said.
With inputs from agencies

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