- Khamenei instructs the army to guarantee an “unrestricted response.”
- Supreme Leader orders the military to revise its list of targets.
- Diplomatic negotiations are ongoing to prevent hostilities from resuming.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei cautioned the United States and Israel on Saturday against restarting the conflict, according to a written statement, after the Islamic Republic’s adversaries threatened the possibility of renewed military strikes.
“If the enemies once again launch military or terrorist attacks, it is the armed forces of the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation that will determine the time and conditions for ending them,” stated a message attributed to Khamenei and published on his official website.
The comments were made during a reported meeting between Khamenei and top military officials, including Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Ali Abdollahi, Army Chief Amir Hatami and Revolutionary Guards Commander Ahmad Vahidi. It was reportedly the first time the group had met.
Khamenei has not appeared in public since taking over as supreme leader after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in US-Israeli strikes at the beginning of the Middle East conflict in February.
According to the statement, Khamenei instructed the commanders to ensure that “any level or type of threat must be met with an immediate, impactful and geographically unrestricted response”.
The statement further said that he directed military officials to revise Iran’s target list, adding “all types of tangible and intangible assets belonging to the American-Zionist enemy”.
The conflict erupted on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran, prompting Tehran to quickly retaliate with attacks across several countries in the region.
Khamenei’s statement was issued as new diplomatic initiatives were underway to prevent hostilities from breaking out again.
A Qatari delegation reached Tehran on Friday to hold discussions with Iranian officials, following reports that Iran had received a letter from US Vice President JD Vance.
Iranian media reported that Tehran had not yet issued a response to the letter.
