The IRGC needs to have “an unrestricted response” to any threats, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said at a meeting with top Iranian army officials on Saturday.
Khamenei ordered the Iranian army to prepare “an immediate, impactful, and geographically unrestricted response,” saying that Iran will determine “timing and terms for ending any new conflicts,” in case their enemies resume attacks.
Any level or type of threat must be met with an immediate, impactful, and geographically unrestricted response.
— Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei (@MKhamenei_ir) October 31, 2026
“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 their end,” Khamenei said in a statement published in the country’s semi-official Nour News Agency.
Khamenei ordered the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to update its target list with the aim of having “all tangible and intangible assets of the US and Israel within reach of the armed forces.”
He named “intelligent combat readiness for a powerful confrontation with enemies” as a requirement for “maximum deterrence,” announcing that every level and type of threat must be met with an immediate and effective response, without geographical limitations.
Khamenei also emphasized the need to strengthen military intelligence architecture, deepen indigenous defense capabilities in both “doctrine” and “tactics,” and enhance modernized defense and security capacities through the utilization of emerging technologies.
Egyptian Foreign Minister fears return to conflict could be more widespread
Speaking at the IISS Manama Dialogue security summit in Bahrain earlier on Saturday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said he was “extremely worried” that a new escalation in the war between the United States and Iran would be more destructive and have a major impact on the Middle East as a whole.
“The second round will be more dangerous, more destructive, and it will lead to nowhere. We have to draw lessons from the past,” he said.
This comes as US President Donald Trump ramped up his war rhetoric, repeatedly saying that the war with Iran is “going to get wrapped up soon,” most recently during a Friday morning interview with KCMO radio.
“We need a guarantee there’ll never be a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. He has previously told reporters that the US won’t return to fighting with Iran until after the US midterm elections on Tuesday.
On Friday, Trump told reporters that there was no rush to reach a diplomatic agreement with Iran, saying “There are talks. They want to talk. They keep talking, but look, they’re not paying their soldiers. They’re not paying their police officers. You know, they’re in big trouble, and we have time.”
Qatar submits proposal to Iran to end the war
The remarks came shortly after Qatari mediators left 12 hours of negotiations with Iranian officials, where they tried to convince them to take a diplomatic approach to ending the conflict, instead of returning to military action, Axios reported.
Qatar is reportedly asking Washington and Tehran to agree on steps that could bring the countries back to the negotiating table to discuss important issues, such as Iran’s nuclear program.
According to Axios, the Qataris are trying to convince Iran to allow United Nations inspectors to visit nuclear sites, many of which were heavily damaged by US and Israeli strikes earlier this year.
Idan Kweller and Goldie Katz contributed to this story.
