Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei stated on Wednesday that the 'corruptive presence' of the United States in the region must end.<br />'' <br />'' The Supreme Leader made the remarks on Wednesday when he received thousands of people from Qom Province on the occasion of the anniversary of the 1978 uprising.<br />'' <br />'' Referring to the Wednesday morning attack on the US bases in Iraq by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), the Ayatollah stated that "Last night's action was merely a slap, but the U.S. must leave the region".<br />'' <br />'' Praising the IRGC reciprocal operation to US airbase of Ain al-Assad in Anbar province in western Iraq,  which he said was carried exactly at the same time that American forces had targetted the IRGC great commander Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani.<br />''