Iran's Khamenei orders response 'without geographical restriction' to any new attack
After meeting commanders, Iran's supreme leader calls for maximum deterrence, as Qatari mediators keep talking in Tehran three days before the U.S. midterm elections.
Archive image · Photo: Mostafa Tehrani / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has instructed the armed forces to respond immediately and effectively to any new attack "without geographical restriction," his office said Saturday, calling for "maximum deterrence." Iranian media reported he also ordered the target list expanded to include all U.S. and Israeli assets within reach. Khamenei has not appeared in public since taking over in March.
The warning comes amid intense mediation. Qatari diplomats held extensive talks in Tehran on Friday, with more planned for Saturday, reportedly involving a letter from U.S. Vice President JD Vance. President Donald Trump denied ordering renewed peace talks. He was reportedly briefed on military options by U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X: "Red lines are a thing of the past." Several Iranian lawmakers are now calling for withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty; the government has not yet responded. U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, who was briefed on a war plan, called it "insane."