Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has told military commanders to prepare to hit U.S. and Israeli assets without geographic limits if Iran comes under attack again, according to accounts published by Iranian media on Saturday.
The instructions include updating the military's list of targets and preparing an immediate response to enemy threats. They come as Qatar tries to prevent another outbreak of fighting between Iran and the United States. No specific targets, countries or dates for strikes were named in the reports.
Iranian state-run television said Khamenei gave the instructions during a meeting with senior armed forces commanders. It quoted him linking combat readiness to what he called maximum deterrence.
If military or terrorist attacks resumed, he said:
it will be the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation that will determine when and under what conditions those attacks will end.
Al Jazeera reported that Khamenei's office announced the meeting and its strategic instructions. The Iranian leader has not been seen or heard publicly since replacing his father, Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in March, according to the network. Saturday's account came through his office rather than a public speech.
Iran is updating its target list
A separate account from West Asia News Agency also described the order to update Iran's target list. The state broadcaster quoted Khamenei saying the work should ensure that:
all physical and non-physical assets of the US-Zionist enemy are brought within the reach of the Armed Forces.
The wording leaves the scope broad. It doesn't identify which assets Iran intends to target, describe a particular operation or establish that its forces can reach every location covered by the warning.
Khamenei also called for stronger military intelligence, changes to Iran's homegrown defense capabilities and the use of newer technologies. His instructions covered military doctrine and tactics, alongside support for the living needs of service personnel and their families.
Senior commanders briefed him on readiness along the Persian Gulf coast, the Strait of Hormuz, the Sea of Oman and Iran's northwestern and southeastern borders. Those present included armed forces chief Abdollahi, army commander Hatami and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Vahidi.
The commanders also reported that production of ammunition and reconnaissance, support and combat weapons had increased several times over. The accounts gave no production totals or comparison period for that claim.
Khamenei praised public support for the armed forces and Iran's allied groups in other countries. He described coordination among those groups as a factor in shaping the region's future political and security order.
The warning comes while mediators are still talking
Iran's army delivered a similar warning on Saturday. Spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Akrami-Nia said the military was watching U.S. movements and continuing to improve its readiness, according to the agency's report of his remarks on X.
He warned that another U.S. attack would spread the fighting across a wider area.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also warned on Saturday that Iran would deliver a stronger response to another attack. Responding on X to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's comments about the war's economic cost to Europe, he said Iran's previous red lines no longer applied. Al Jazeera carried his remarks.
Meanwhile, senior Qatari diplomats held extensive talks in Tehran on Friday, with further discussions expected on Saturday, according to the network's Tehran report.
Iranian media say Tehran's negotiating position still centers on reopening the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a return to the June memorandum of understanding. Its demands include ending the U.S. maritime blockade of Iranian ports, waivers on oil sanctions and a truce in regional conflicts, including Lebanon. Those are Iran's terms for negotiations, with no agreement announced in Saturday's account.