No geographic restriction: Mojtaba Khamenei orders Iran military to prepare for immediate US attack

His orders came amid intensified cross-border fighting between the Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-backed Houthis, turning Yemen into another front in the ongoing conflict between Tehran and Washington.

In Short

• Khamenei orders immediate, strong response to US, Israeli threats
• Iran to decide timing and terms to end any conflict, says Supreme Leader
• Khamenei orders increased production of ammunition amid fears of all-out war

Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, on Saturday ordered the armed forces to deliver an immediate, forceful and “geographically unrestricted response” to any enemy threat amid fears of an all-out war between the US and Iran.

In a statement published on his official Telegram account, he also directed the military to update its target list to bring “all US and Israeli assets, tangible and intangible” within striking range.

Khamenei said Iran would determine the timing and terms for ending any new conflict if its enemies resumed military or “terrorist attacks”.

He ordered the armed forces to increase production of ammunition and weapons for reconnaissance, support and combat operations, strengthen military intelligence and develop indigenous defence capabilities.

FIGHTING SPREADS AS MEDIATORS SEEK DEAL

His orders came amid intensified cross-border fighting between the Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-backed Houthis, turning Yemen into another front in the ongoing conflict between Tehran and Washington.

The Houthis have repeatedly attacked Saudi Arabia's Eastern Region in recent weeks. The region holds most of the kingdom's oil and gas reserves and houses Saudi Aramco's headquarters, which suffered extensive damage in an attack earlier in October.

An interim agreement reached in June failed to secure a lasting ceasefire or restore normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has since proposed that Washington lift its blockade of Iranian ports in exchange for Tehran reopening the waterway within seven days.

Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday to try to broker a deal. However, the sides remain divided over whether nuclear negotiations or relief from the blockade and oil sanctions should come first.

Speaking at a security forum in Bahrain, Saudi Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed ElKhereiji said efforts were underway to prevent further military escalation and reach an agreement to end the crisis.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty warned at the same event that another round of war would be more destructive.

“We are very confident that the second round will be more dangerous, more destructive, and it will lead to nowhere,” he said.

KHAMENEI'S ABSENCE FUELS SPECULATION

Khamenei, 56, has been communicating through written messages, including Saturday's statement, without making a public appearance since the war began. His absence has fuelled speculation about his health and whereabouts.

Mohsen Heydari, a member of Iran's Assembly of Experts, said Khamenei was wounded in the initial US strikes on Tehran that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on February 28.

He was taken to a Tehran hospital, which was then hit in another attack, Heydari told an Arab news publication. Khamenei was later pulled from the rubble, he added.

The Assembly of Experts, which selects Iran's Supreme Leader, named Khamenei his father's successor on March 8 following a secret meeting held under heightened security.

Heydari said Khamenei received 50 of the 59 votes cast. Eight members voted for Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, while one abstained.

IRAN-US WAR: THE STORY SO FAR

The war began on February 28 when the US and Israel attacked Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran retaliated with strikes on Israel and US military bases in Gulf countries, widening the conflict across the region.

Washington said the attacks were aimed at countering threats from Iran's nuclear and missile programmes. They came while Oman-mediated nuclear negotiations were underway, with further talks planned.

The conflict also engulfed Lebanon after Iran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel on March 2 in support of Tehran, prompting Israeli airstrikes and a ground offensive.

Lebanon's Health Ministry has put the death toll since March 2 at 4,389, while an August 28 tally recorded 3,527 deaths in Iran. The US military death toll reached 23 by October 29, including combat and non-combat deaths.

The nuclear issue remains a sticking point in efforts to end the war. Iran has enriched uranium to 60 per cent purity, below the weapons-grade level of 90 per cent, but maintains that its programme is peaceful.

The IAEA said in March it had found no evidence of an organised nuclear weapons programme, while raising concerns about Tehran's highly enriched uranium. Washington wants meaningful cuts to Tehran's enrichment capacity as a condition for a deal.

- Ends