Iran's supreme leader has warned that any attack on the country would be met with an "immediate, impactful and geographically unrestricted response", as the US and Israel consider launching fresh strikes in the region after the US mid-term elections.
US President Donald Trump has alternated between threatening major strikes on the Middle East and pushing for a deal with Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly advocating for a return to full-scale conflict, in a speculated bid to form an emergency government after losing his parliamentary majority last week.
Tehran's Response
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said "any level or type of threat" would be met with retaliation. Khamenei, whose threats have raised fears of Iran targeting Europe, has not been seen publicly since opening strikes by the US and Israel killed his father, the previous supreme leader, in February.
Iran's security minister Mohsen Rezaei said on X that any attack would bring "devastating blows on the aggressor using new weapons". State media also reported that Khamenei had called for an updated list of potential US and Israeli targets, including "all kinds of physical and non-physical assets".
Warnings of a Longer Conflict
The supreme leader was additionally quoted as warning that Tehran will decide the duration of any new conflict. "Should Iran's enemies resume military or terrorist attacks, it will be the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation that will determine when and under what conditions those attacks will end," he said.
His threats were reiterated by Iranian army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia, who told Iranian media on Sunday that "should a new war erupt, the geography of the conflict will not be confined to the West Asia region" and that "any potential future war could prove significantly longer than past conflicts".
Other Middle Eastern nations have warned against a return to all-out war, saying strike action could destabilise the region and lead Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen to step up their attacks on Saudi Arabia and Red Sea shipping.
Diplomatic Efforts Continue
Qatari mediators held two rounds of talks with Iranian officials last week amid urgent diplomatic efforts. The Islamic Republic has said it is ready for both diplomacy and renewed fighting, with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi saying Tehran "hopes there is rationality on the other side to prefer diplomacy to other paths" as "drawing on the experiences of the past two wars, we are much stronger than before".
