Iran has issued a chilling threat about global retaliation as the US and Israel consider launching fresh strikes in the region. US President Donald Trump has alternated between threatening major strikes on the Middle East and pushing for a deal with Iran after the mid-term elections on Tuesday.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said “any level or type of threat” would be met with “an immediate, impactful and geographically unrestricted response”. Mr Khamenei – whose threats have raised fears of Iran targeting Europe in response to a renewed attack – 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 Mr Khamenei had called for an updated list of potential US and Israeli targets, including “all kinds of physical and non-physical assets”.
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. Mr Akraminia 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”.
It comes amid urgent diplomatic efforts, with Qatari mediators holding two rounds of talks with Iranian officials last week. Other US allies in the Middle East have also warned against strike action, saying it could destabilise the region and lead Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen to step up their attacks on Saudi Arabia and Red Sea shipping.
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”.