Iran's supreme leader orders a 'geographically unrestricted response' to any US strike as Trump weighs new attacks after the midterms
Donald Trump, JD Vance and Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office in July. Trump has denied that a letter Vance sent to Iran's top security official was intended to revive peace negotiations, insisting it concerned…Iran's Revolutionary Guard says four tankers have caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz, in a picture posted on X by Al Jazeera English.
Khamenei, not seen publicly since Operation Epic Fury began on 28 February, issued the order via Telegram after meeting senior Iranian military commanders on Saturday, directing them to update target databases to bring all US and Israeli "physical and non-physical" assets within reach of Iranian forces. The threat came hours after Tehran accused the US of striking two fishing boats near Qeshm Island, wounding one fisherman and leaving two missing. Qatari mediators spent 12 hours in Tehran on Friday trying to prevent fresh escalation, remaining in regular contact with the White House throughout.
A preliminary draft deal would see Iran transfer its highly enriched uranium stockpile to a third country and reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days, with China and Russia as potential guarantors.
Trump, speaking at a rally in Daytona Beach on Friday, declared 'Iran is finished' and said the war 'is going to end soon', but offered no timetable or settlement framework four days before Tuesday's midterms.
The US has warned regional allies to prepare for possible new strikes as early as Wednesday, with any renewed offensive reportedly set to be a large-scale effort going far beyond previous operations.
