ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on Tuesday said that the nations and lands in the region will no longer shield American bases, claiming that the US is distancing itself from its “previous status day by day.”

“What is certain in this regard is that the hand of time will not turn back and the nations and lands of the region will no longer be the shield of American bases,” the Iranian supreme leader said in a Tuesday message on the occasion of the Islamic Hajj pilgrimage.

The US has military bases and presences in many Middle Eastern countries near and around Iran. Iran during its recent war accused many regional countries of allowing the US to initiate military operations from their territory, and targeted American bases and interests in those countries.

Khamenei said that in addition to no longer having a safe haven for “evil” and establishing military bases in the region, America is also “distancing itself from its previous status day by day.”

“The depth and scope of disavowal from America and the Zionist regime will go beyond the ritual of disavowal during the Hajj season and Miqat, and in different parts of Iran and the world, and after this blessed day, death to America and death to Israel will be the common slogan of the Islamic nation and the oppressed of the world, especially the youth,” Khamenei noted.

He further added that Israel is also “approaching the final stages of its doomed life.”

Khamenei’s remarks come as Iran and the US are working toward a deal to end hostilities. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Tuesday carried out renewed attacks in southern Iran, calling them “self-defense strikes,” despite the two warring sides reporting significant progress in their discussions days earlier.

Hours after the CENTCOM statement, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it detected and intercepted an MQ9 drone, an RQ4 drone, and an American F35 aggressor in its airspace the previous night.

“The IRGC has warned against any ceasefire violation by the invading US army and considers its right to respond legitimately and definitively,” read the statement.

The US-Israeli war on Iran began in late February, with Washington seeking to put an end to the Iranian nuclear program and set limits on the country’s missile capabilities. The war lasted over a month and led to the deaths of thousands and billions of dollars lost in damages.

Hostilities have largely halted since Iran and the US reached a fragile ceasefire agreement in early April, which was subsequently extended for an unknown period as the two sides continued working toward a permanent deal, mediated by Pakistan.

US President Donald Trump’s said on Saturday that an agreement was “largely negotiated” with the Iranian side and awaited finalization, following a series of indirect negotiations through Pakistani mediators.