Iran warns of unfettered retaliation if attacked as mediators try for peace

Iran’s supreme leader says Tehran’s potential response will not be restricted by geography.

A woman walks past a banner depicting the portraits of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, left, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, centre, and slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, in Tehran on October 21, 2026 [AFP]

Tehran, Iran – Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has issued a strongly worded message to the Iranian armed forces, as mediators continue to try to prevent a new breakout of war between Iran and the United States.

Senior diplomats from Qatar held extensive talks in Tehran on Friday , with further talks expected to take place on Saturday.

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Iranian authorities say they are prepared to respond forcefully amid reports that the US and Israel are preparing for new strikes on Iran.

The office of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Khamenei, who has not been seen or heard from since replacing his assassinated father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in March, said on Saturday that he met with senior military commanders and gave them “important strategic directives”.

Khamenei required “maximum deterrence” through preparedness for “an immediate and effective response, without geographical restriction” if the country is attacked again, according to a statement released by the office.

It comes days after US Vice President JD Vance wrote a letter to Tehran, reportedly addressed to Mohsen Rezaei, the Supreme National Security Council leader who has become a central power in strategic decision-making in Iran despite failing over decades to garner enough votes for public office.

Exact details of the letter are unclear, but Vance is believed to have called for nuclear commitments from Iran, including allowing international inspectors to monitor the country’s nuclear programme and determining the fate of Iran’s highly enriched uranium, which Tehran has said will not be shipped abroad .

US President Donald Trump earlier rejected reports that he had ordered renewed peace talks, instead claiming without elaborating that the Vance letter was concerned with allowing medical supplies into Iran.

According to Iranian media, Tehran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within several days in exchange for a return to the June memorandum of understanding still remains the baseline for the mediated negotiations.

Tehran’s demands include the lifting of a US maritime blockade on Iranian ports, waivers on oil sanctions, and a truce for regional conflicts, including in Lebanon where Israeli forces continue to occupy the country’s south.

Local media confirmed that Iran received the letter, although they did not say whether any official response has been given through mediators.

An Iranian state-linked Jomhouri-e Eslami (“Islamic Republic”) newspaper published an editorial on Saturday saying that even though the chances of reaching an agreement with the US were slim and fighting could break out after the US midterm elections on November 3, it was still imperative to give a positive response to negotiations and meetings over the coming days.

“We must not allow war to be accepted as the inescapable fate for Iran,” it said.

Iran and the US have kept up their attempts to assert control in the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC has continued attacking ships and warns of a lingering threat from alleged naval mines. The US military provides guidance and cover for a shuttle system to get oil from Arab states out of the waterway.

Local authorities reported on Saturday afternoon that two fishing boats were bombed by a US drone south of Qeshm island in southern Iran, wounding several fishermen.

Iranian state television claimed late on Friday that at least six tankers, including a very large crude carrier bearing two million barrels of oil, were damaged by explosions after allegedly hitting mines in recent days while transiting “unauthorised” routes in the strait. It also released footage recorded from a small boat close to a larger vessel that was dealing with a fire.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) on Friday reported a new type of attack that occurred a day earlier. It said a tanker was approached by a small boat which attached two explosive devices to the hull above the waterline, resulting in a blast that caused a fire in the engine room and temporarily disabled the vessel northeast of Oman’s Khasab.

The maritime monitor said it recorded 155 inbound and 122 outbound transits through the Strait of Hormuz in the week ending October 28, which was 70 percent lower than pre-war levels.

In a video message on Friday, US Central Command chief Brad Cooper said he flew over the strait and saw dozens of vessels carrying cargo, crude oil and liquid natural gas while being supported by US aircraft and sea drones.

“I didn’t see the IRGC out there at all,” he said. “They patrolled the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters for decades, harassing and threatening and seizing commercial vessels at will. But they were not out there because Iran’s navy is all at the bottom of the sea.”

‘Red lines a thing of the past’

The rhetoric coming from Tehran has only hardened after eight months of war. In line with Khamenei’s Saturday statement, army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia warned the Trump administration against attacking Iran.

“If the US president once more embarks on adventurism in the region through threats and greed of the Zionists, the fire of war will undoubtedly engulf a wider geography,” he said, in reference to Israel.

Other senior officials took aim at Washington’s European allies, who expressed backing for both the US-Israeli offensive on February 28 and last year’s 12-day war.

After German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the costs of war had exceeded 100 billion euros for Europe over the past eight months. Iran’s security chief Rezaei said Europe was “whining” now even though it cheered the war earlier.

“When you cheered on war crimes, did you think the fallout wouldn’t hit you, too? War and terror come at a price. Now it’s your turn to pay,” he wrote on X.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also reminded that Merz had celebrated Israel and the US “doing the dirty work” for Europe during last year’s war.

“100bn Euro is nothing compared to the Earth-shattering blow Iran’s Powerful Armed Forces will deal against those who dare harm our people,” he wrote. “Red lines are a thing of the past”.

US Senator Chris Murphy said earlier this week that he had a meeting with senior officials about what a short and blistering US military campaign would look like if the war resumes.

“Their plan is insane. It will lead to devastating escalation and the likely destruction of our commitment to the rule of law,” he said.

Eric Brewer, deputy vice president for the Nuclear Materials Security Program for the US-based Nuclear Threat Initiative, said it is entirely unclear what would be achieved through extensive air strikes against Iran’s infrastructure, considering that Trump earlier this week bemoaned that Iran has focused on rebuilding after earlier attacks.

“There is no military solution for remaining nuclear sites [Pickaxe, Esfahan tunnels], and the program remains generally paused. Striking energy targets is unlikely to cause Iran to capitulate to US negotiating demands,” he wrote on X, adding that Iran will also retaliate across the region if attacked.

“They will aim to make the war not just more painful for the US and its partners, but longer than we would prefer,” Brewer said. “The risks of this operation far exceed any gains.”

伊朗最高领袖表示，德黑兰的潜在反应不会受到地理位置的限制。

2026年10月21日，一名女子走过德黑兰的一幅横幅，横幅上印有伊朗已故最高领袖阿亚图拉·鲁霍拉·霍梅尼（左）、伊朗最高领袖穆杰塔巴·哈梅内伊（中）和被杀害的最高领袖阿亚图拉·阿里·哈梅内伊（右）的画像。[法新社]

伊朗德黑兰——伊朗最高领袖穆杰塔巴·哈梅内伊向伊朗武装部队发出措辞强硬的信息，与此同时，调解人继续努力防止伊朗和美国之间再次爆发战争。

卡塔尔高级外交官周五在德黑兰举行了广泛会谈，预计周六将举行进一步会谈。

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有报道称，美国和以色列正准备对伊朗发动新的袭击，伊朗当局表示，他们已做好强有力的回应准备。

伊朗最高领袖哈梅内伊的办​​公室周六表示，自今年3月接替被暗杀的父亲阿亚图拉·阿里·哈梅内伊以来，哈梅内伊一直没有露面或发表过任何言论。他与高级军事指挥官会面，并向他们下达了“重要的战略指示”。

据该办公室发布的一份声明称，哈梅内伊要求通过做好准备，在国家再次遭受攻击时能够“立即做出有效回应，且不受地域限制”，从而实现“最大限度的威慑”。

就在几天前，美国副总统 JD Vance 写信给德黑兰，据报道，这封信是写给伊朗最高国家安全委员会主席 Mohsen Rezaei 的。尽管几十年来他一直未能获得足够的选票竞选公职，但他已成为伊朗战略决策的核心人物。

信件的具体细节尚不清楚，但据信万斯在信中呼吁伊朗做出核承诺，包括允许国际核查人员监督该国的核计划，并确定伊朗高浓缩铀的去向。德黑兰方面表示，这些高浓缩铀不会运往国外。

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普早前否认了有关他已下令重启和平谈判的报道，反而声称范斯的信函与允许医疗物资进入伊朗有关，但并未详细说明。

据伊朗媒体报道，德黑兰提出的在几天内重新开放霍尔木兹海峡，以换取恢复6月份签署的谅解备忘录的提议，仍然是调解谈判的基准。

德黑兰的要求包括解除美国对伊朗港口的海上封锁、豁免石油制裁以及暂停地区冲突，包括在以色列军队继续占领黎巴嫩南部的地区冲突。

当地媒体证实伊朗已收到这封信，但没有透露是否已通过调解人作出任何官方回应。

伊朗官方报纸《伊斯兰共和国报》（Jomhouri-e Eslami）周六发表社论称，尽管与美国达成协议的可能性很小，而且11月3日美国中期选举后可能会爆发冲突，但对未来几天的谈判和会晤做出积极回应仍然至关重要。

“我们绝不能接受战争成为伊朗不可避免的命运，”声明说。

伊朗和美国持续试图控制霍尔木兹海峡。伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队继续袭击船只，并警告称，据称水雷仍然构成威胁。美国军方为一条从阿拉伯国家向霍尔木兹海峡运送石油的穿梭运输系统提供引导和掩护。

当地政府周六下午报告称，伊朗南部格什姆岛以南的两艘渔船遭到美国无人机轰炸，造成多名渔民受伤。

伊朗国家电视台周五晚间声称，至少有六艘油轮，其中包括一艘载有200万桶原油的超大型原油运输船，近日在穿越霍尔木兹海峡“未经授权”的航线时触雷，引发爆炸受损。该电视台还公布了一段从一艘靠近正在灭火的大型船只的小船上拍摄的视频。

英国海事贸易行动处（UKMTO）周五报告了一起新型袭击事件，该事件发生在前一天。报告称，一艘小型船只靠近一艘油轮，并在油轮水线以上的船体上安装了两个爆炸装置，导致爆炸引发机舱起火，并使该船在阿曼哈萨卜东北部海域暂时失去动力。

海事监测机构表示，截至 10 月 28 日的一周内，霍尔木兹海峡的入港船只数量为 155 艘，出港船只数量为 122 艘，比战前水平下降了 70%。

美国中央司令部司令布拉德·库珀周五在一段视频讲话中表示，他飞越了海峡，看到数十艘船只运载货物、原油和液化天然气，并得到了美国飞机和海上无人机的支持。

“我根本没看到伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队在那里活动，”他说。“几十年来，他们一直在霍尔木兹海峡及其周边水域巡逻，随意骚扰、威胁和扣押商船。但他们现在不在那里，因为伊朗海军已经全部沉入海底了。”

“红线已成为过去”

经过八个月的战争，德黑兰方面的言辞更加强硬。伊朗军方发言人穆罕默德·阿克拉米尼亚与哈梅内伊周六的声明相呼应，警告特朗普政府不要攻击伊朗。

“如果美国总统再次因犹太复国主义者的威胁和贪婪而在该地区搞冒险主义，那么战争的烈焰无疑会蔓延到更广阔的地域，”他指的是以色列。

其他高级官员则将矛头指向华盛顿的欧洲盟友，这些盟友曾表示支持2月28日美国和以色列发动的进攻以及去年的12天战争。

德国总理弗里德里希·默茨表示，过去八个月来，战争给欧洲造成的损失已超过1000亿欧元。伊朗安全局局长雷扎伊则表示，欧洲此前曾为战争欢呼，如今却在“抱怨”。

“当你们为战争罪行欢呼时，难道你们以为不会遭到报应吗？战争和恐怖主义是有代价的。现在轮到你们付出代价了。”他在X上写道。

伊朗外交部长阿巴斯·阿拉格奇还提醒说，梅尔茨曾赞扬以色列和美国在去年的战争中为欧洲“做了肮脏的勾当”。

他写道：“与伊朗强大的武装力量将对胆敢伤害我们人民的人给予的毁灭性打击相比，1000亿欧元根本微不足道。红线已经成为过去。”

美国参议员克里斯·墨菲本周早些时候表示，他与高级官员举行了一次会议，讨论如果战争重新爆发，美国将采取短期而猛烈的军事行动。

他说：“他们的计划简直疯了。这将导致局势急剧升级，并可能摧毁我们对法治的承诺。”

美国核威胁倡议组织核材料安全项目副总裁埃里克·布鲁尔表示，考虑到特朗普本周早些时候曾抱怨伊朗在遭受袭击后一直专注于重建，因此，对伊朗基础设施进行大规模空袭究竟能取得什么成果，目前尚不完全清楚。

“对于剩余的核设施（例如皮卡克斯核设施和伊斯法罕隧道），没有军事解决方案，而且伊朗核计划总体上仍处于暂停状态。打击能源目标不太可能迫使伊朗屈服于美国的谈判要求，”他在X网站上写道，并补充说，如果遭到攻击，伊朗还将在整个地区进行报复。

布鲁尔说：“他们的目标不仅是让美国及其盟友遭受更大的痛苦，还要让战争持续比我们预期的更长的时间。这次行动的风险远远大于任何收益。”