TEHRAN: Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned the United States and Israel against renewed attacks on Saturday in a written statement attributed to him and published on his website.
The statement instructed military commanders to prepare “an immediate, impactful and geographically unrestricted response” to threats.
It warned that, if attacks resumed, Iran’s armed forces and population would determine the timing and conditions under which hostilities ended.
Khamenei also ordered an update of the military’s target list to encompass a wider range of US and Israeli assets. This was according to the statement.
Iranian accounts linked the remarks to a reported meeting with senior commanders. Those named included armed forces chief of staff Ali Abdollahi and army commander Amir Hatami. They also included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Ahmad Vahidi. It was their first reported meeting with Khamenei.
He has not appeared publicly since succeeding his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening US-Israeli strikes of the war. The conflict began on February 28. After that, Iran launched retaliatory attacks across the region. Meanwhile, diplomatic contacts continued separately.
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A Qatari delegation arrived in Tehran on Friday for discussions with Iranian officials. Qatar and Pakistan have been mediating efforts to secure a lasting agreement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that Tehran had reviewed a letter from US Vice President JD Vance. However, Tehran currently had no plans to meet American officials.
The letter’s contents have not been published. US media accounts have described it as an effort to revive negotiations.
President Donald Trump, however, characterised Vance’s outreach as focused on medical supplies rather than initiating peace talks.
Araghchi acknowledged the attempt to create space for dialogue as positive. However, he cautioned Washington against using the communication to sow division.
(With additional input from AFP and Press TV)
