Iran's Supreme Leader Orders 'Maximum' Response to Any U.S. Attack
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Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, told the country’s three ranking military commanders that any renewed attack by the United States or Israel “must be met with an immediate and effective response, without geographical limitations,” in order to achieve “maximum deterrence,” according to a statement from his office Saturday.
The session was the first publicly disclosed meeting between Mr. Khamenei and the top commanders of Iran’s armed forces since the war began. The statement said the armed forces chief of staff, General Ali Abdollahi, the army commander, Major General Amir Hatami, and the Revolutionary Guard commander, Major General Ahmad Vahidi, briefed him on readiness along the Gulf coastline and around the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman, and Iran’s northwestern and southeastern borders. The commanders reported “a several-fold increase” in production of ammunition and of reconnaissance, support and combat weapons.
“If the enemies once again launch military or terrorist attacks, it will be the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Armed Forces and the Iranian nation that determine when and under what conditions those hostilities will end,” Mr. Khamenei said, according to the statement. He has not been seen or heard in public since he was wounded in an Israeli strike on the war’s first day, and has communicated only in writing, fueling questions about his condition.
The meeting came a day after Qatari mediators spent more than twelve hours in Tehran seeking a deal to restart direct United States-Iran negotiations and avert a resumption of war. The talks continued Saturday in Doha. President Trump has signaled he is weighing major strikes after Tuesday’s midterm elections.
On the water, U.S. Central Command said the American blockade of the Strait of Hormuz had redirected 144 vessels, up from 138 two weeks ago. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the effort had removed 1.5 billion barrels of Iranian oil from the market, with tankers escorted out of the Gulf for ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told state media that no change had been made to Iran’s nuclear doctrine, but that renewed war “could necessitate” one.