Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on Saturday warned the United States and Israel that any fresh attack would be met with an immediate response without geographic limits, as mediators in Doha worked to keep the Gulf from sliding back into open war after the US midterm elections.
In a statement posted on his official Telegram account after meeting senior commanders, Khamenei said any level or type of threat must draw an “immediate, impactful and geographically unrestricted response.” He told the military to update Iran’s target list to cover “all types of tangible and intangible assets belonging to the American-Zionist enemy,” pointing to high readiness along the Gulf coast, the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman, and Iran’s borders.
First command meeting since March succession
The gathering was the first reported session between Khamenei and the top brass since he took charge in March, after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in US-Israeli strikes on 28 February. Those present included Armed Forces Chief of Staff Maj Gen Ali Abdollahi, army chief Amir Hatami, and Revolutionary Guards commander Ahmad Vahidi. The new leader has not been seen publicly since assuming power.
Regional capitals expect US President Donald Trump, who held off strikes ahead of Tuesday’s vote, could renew attacks afterwards. That fear has driven intensive mediation even as military signalling hardened on both sides.
Diplomacy in Doha, letter from Vance
Iranian negotiators met Qatari mediators in Doha on Saturday to discuss ways out of Gulf fighting. Those talks followed more than 12 hours of discussions on Friday in Tehran between Iranian and Qatari envoys, according to a source briefed on the process who spoke on condition of anonymity and said the effort was coordinated with Washington.
This week, US Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, at Trump’s direction to revive contacts, though Trump described the move as aimed only at allowing medical supplies into Iran. Tehran had already rejected as unsatisfactory a seven-day trust-building plan presented by Qatari mediators a week earlier. Iran’s own seven-day plan, offered since September and rejected by Trump, calls for lifting a US port blockade, unfreezing Iranian assets, and approving an Iranian-backed Hormuz route before the waterway reopens.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had examined Vance’s letter in high-level meetings and called broader US openness to dialogue a “positive step,” while warning that any attempt to sow discord would be another mistake. He said no direct talks with US officials are scheduled, that Iran’s conditions are clear, and that mediators—including Qatari and Pakistani channels reviewing nuclear proposals—are continuing consultations. Araghchi said Doha talks had cut the implementation period for Iran’s Hormuz reopening proposal from five days to two. Conditions he listed include lifting sanctions linked to the Islamabad memorandum, reducing US forces in the region, restoring oil waivers, releasing frozen funds including those held in Qatar, and recognising Hormuz shipping routes discussed with Oman. He said Iran “will not surrender” and warned there would be no more “red lines.”
Washington undecided; region sounds alarm
In Atlanta, where he was hosting G20 foreign ministers, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump “hasn’t made a decision” on fresh strikes against Iran. Rubio said Washington could achieve military objectives if it chose to, but had no announcement, preferred diplomacy without a set timeline, and accused Tehran of “actively and openly” targeting commercial vessels.
At the IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said he was “extremely worried” about a second round of war that would be “more dangerous, more destructive.” Saudi Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed ElKhereiji said efforts were under way to prevent escalation and end the crisis after a June interim deal failed to produce a lasting ceasefire.
Shipping risks in the Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz normally carries about one-fifth of global oil use, and Iran’s blockade has already pushed energy prices higher. Iranian state television said two fishermen from Qeshm, missing after what it called an American attack on their boat on Saturday morning, had been found; a provincial official had earlier said two other fishermen were wounded. Iran’s navy separately said a tanker caught fire after striking naval mines in a prohibited area east of the strait, a day after the Revolutionary Guards said three oil tankers were halted following incidents or mine strikes. Iran has previously warned it could consider cutting undersea cables in the strait.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 28 February: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is killed in US-Israeli strikes.
- March: Mojtaba Khamenei assumes the role of supreme leader.
- June: An interim agreement fails to secure a lasting ceasefire.
- September onward: Iran advances a seven-day Hormuz plan; Trump rejects it.
- About a week before Saturday’s warning: Qatari mediators present a seven-day trust-building plan that Tehran finds unsatisfactory.
- Friday–Saturday: Lengthy Tehran then Doha talks; tankers hit or halted near Hormuz; Khamenei meets commanders and issues the unrestricted-response warning; Rubio says no strike decision yet.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Iran ke naye supreme leader ne America aur Israel ko kaha hai ke nai hamle ka jawab turant aur kisi bhi ilaqe tak ho sakta hai. Doha mein baat cheet chal rahi hai aur Hormuz kholne ka plan ab do din ka qareeb hai. America ne abhi nai strikes ka faisla nahi kiya. Pakistan ke liye asl khatra mehngai aur oil ki supply ka hai, kyunke Hormuz se dunya ka bohot sa oil guzarta hai.
