(Oct 31): Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei ordered his top military commanders to prepare for renewed confrontation with the US and Israel and expand Tehran’s options for retaliation.

“Every level and type of threat must be met with an immediate, effective response, without geographical limitations,” Khamenei told the heads of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Army and the General Staff of the Armed Forces, according to a statement on Telegram on Saturday. 

He ordered the military to update its lists of potential targets to bring “all types of material and immaterial assets” of the US and Israel “within the armed forces’ reach”. 

The supreme leader also “described intelligent combat readiness for a powerful confrontation with the enemies as one of the prerequisites of maximum deterrence”, and urged the military to strengthen its capabilities with new technologies. 

The comments underline the heightened state of alert in Iran as it braces for the potential resumption of US-Israeli strikes amid renewed diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, as well as Tehran’s determination to escalate its response. 

Khamenei’s statement didn’t say when or where the meeting took place, but it marks the first time he’s known to have convened his top military commanders as the head of state. He hasn’t been seen in public since the US and Israel started the war in February, and only a handful of Iranian officials have said they have spoken to him since.

The US has warned Gulf countries to prepare for renewed strikes against Iran after the Nov 3 midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal reported this week. US Central Command briefed President Donald Trump on potential military options on Thursday, Fox reported. 

“If the enemies resume military or terrorist attacks, it is the Islamic Republic’s armed forces and the Iranian nation who will determine the time and conditions for its end,” Khamenei said.

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