Iran's Khamenei Orders 'No Limits' Response as U.S. Weighs Strikes

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei ordered his top military commanders on Saturday to answer any new attack with an “immediate, effective response without geographical limitations,” according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA, as reported by Al Jazeera and Middle East Eye. The order lands three days before the U.S. midterm elections, as the Trump administration weighs whether to resume strikes on Iran.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that Khamenei met with armed forces chief of staff Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, army commander Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami and Revolutionary Guard commander Maj. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi. According to Tasnim, the commanders briefed him on readiness along the Persian Gulf coast, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman, and claimed a “several-fold increase” in production of ammunition and weapons.

BREAKING: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has instructed senior commanders to deliver an “immediate, effective response without geographical limitations” to any potential enemy threat, the IRNA news agency reports.

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— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 31, 2026

Khamenei also ordered an update to Iran’s “Targets Bank” to bring U.S. and Israeli assets within reach of Iranian forces, Middle East Eye reported. Arab News, citing Reuters and AFP, said the statement was published on Khamenei’s official Telegram account and called for bringing US and Israeli “physical and non-physical” assets within range.

“If the enemies once again launch military or terrorist attacks, it is the armed forces of the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation that will determine the time and conditions for their end,” Khamenei said, according to Middle East Eye’s report on the IRNA statement.

Washington’s warning

The Iranian order follows reports that the administration is preparing for possible military action after Tuesday’s vote. Three senior Gulf Arab officials told MS NOW that Washington asked Gulf allies to prepare for a brief but intense round of strikes starting as early as November 4, according to The Diplomatic Insight. The White House said it does not comment on sensitive military planning and that President Trump keeps all options open to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, the outlet reported.

A U.S. official told Axios that Trump may be more willing to order a major strike if Republicans suffer heavy losses, The Diplomatic Insight reported. “If he feels embarrassed or disenfranchised, he will do something bold,” the official said, according to that report. A White House official rejected the idea, insisting election results will not influence the president’s Iran decisions, the outlet said.

Iran International, citing the MS NOW report, said the administration had briefed Persian Gulf allies to prepare for a short, intense round of attacks as soon as November 4.

Talks move to Doha

Qatari mediators spent more than 12 hours in Tehran on Friday while keeping in close contact with the White House, according to The Diplomatic Insight. Iranian negotiators were in Doha on Saturday for further talks with Qatari mediators, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters, as reported by Iran International.

The two sides remain far apart. Washington wants nuclear concessions, while Tehran demands that the U.S. first end its naval blockade, release frozen funds and permit oil sales, The Diplomatic Insight reported. Doha is pressing Iran to admit U.N. inspectors to its bombed nuclear sites in return for limited sanctions relief, according to the same report. Iran’s Tasnim agency said no direct negotiations with the United States were planned in Doha, Iran International reported.

Iran’s army also warned on Saturday that any new U.S. attack would widen the war. “If the US president once again embarks on more regional adventurism under pressure from, and in an attempt to appease, the Zionists, the flames of war will undoubtedly engulf a much wider geographical area,” army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said in a post on X, according to Arab News.

The U.S. has not struck Iran since September 1, and a third carrier group led by the USS Theodore Roosevelt is expected in the region at the end of November, according to The Diplomatic Insight.

Reporting by Daily Beltway.