Iran's Supreme Leader orders unlimited geographical response against enemies

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has ordered his military chiefs to give an 'immediate, effective, and non-geographically limited response' to any military or terrorist attack on Iran. According to a report by ABC News, these orders indicate that Iran is prepared to expand its targets well beyond military limitations. These strategic orders signal that if the US and Israel launch a new attack on Iran, Iran is ready to escalate this war across the entire region or perhaps even beyond.

According to ABC News, Khamenei has also ordered his military chiefs to update the 'target bank' so that all types of visible and invisible assets of the US and Israel remain within the reach of the armed forces. These orders include instructing their satellite organizations, Hezbollah and Hamas, to also get involved in this process. Khamenei outlined these orders on his X account, where he also praised the intelligent steadfastness of the 'Resistance Front' operating in various countries. ABC News has noted that the Resistance Front is an Islamic militant organization and proxy group operating in Jammu and Kashmir. Khamenei described the 'unity of fronts' as a decisive factor in shaping a new political and security architecture in West Asia.

According to a report by The Times of India, Khamenei has directed the military to remain prepared for an immediate response to potential threats and he has emphasized increasing military production as well as improving intelligence capabilities. These directives have come in the wake of mounting tensions with the US and Israel, particularly following incidents in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran is ready to strike back against any aggressive steps taken by its enemies.

The current situation has arisen at a time when reports from Washington indicate that the US had warned Gulf countries on Wednesday, November 4, to expect a new attack on Iran immediately after the US mid-term elections. The New York Times reported that joint plans have been prepared by the US and Israel to attack Iran after the American mid-term elections of November 3. Meanwhile, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal, US Central Command (CENTCOM) head Admiral Brad Cooper briefed Trump on options to launch fresh strikes on Iran.

Qatar is attempting to mediate negotiations between Iran and the United States, which is being done through meetings held previously in Tehran and now in Doha. However, it has emerged that US representatives were absent from the meetings held in Doha. Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported that Vice President JD Vance offered to meet personally with the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, to bring an end to the war. Leaders of Saudi Arabia and Turkey have urged Trump to give more time for diplomatic relations with Iran, while Netanyahu is lobbying for a joint US-Israeli military operation.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated in an interview with Al Jazeera that the US attempt to initiate dialogue is a 'positive step'. He added that talks with Qatari mediators have reduced the implementation timeframe for Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Araghchi stated, "The Qatari side proposed reducing the implementation period of the Iranian proposal to five days. We have reached a point at this stage that reduces the implementation period to two days."

Araghchi also clarified Iran's conditions, which include lifting the sanctions imposed after the Islamabad Memorandum and reducing US forces in the region. He demanded the restoration of the oil wariness and the release of all frozen funds, including all funds held in Qatar. He further said, "We cannot rule out any possibility of the outbreak of war and we are prepared for all circumstances. We have upgraded our weapons, addressed our vulnerabilities, and tested new weapons; our forces are at the highest level of readiness."

Amidst military tensions, reports from the Strait of Hormuz indicate that according to Iran's International Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), four oil tankers, including a 'supertanker' carrying more than two million barrels of oil, caught fire after colliding with a mine. The IRGC stated that these tankers fell victim to an explosion on Friday as they attempted to use an unauthorized route through the strait. According to the Guard's navy claims, these vessels had turned off their navigation and positioning systems and ignored repeated radio warnings. Oman stated that it has safely rescued 25 crew members of a Panama-flagged tanker that fell victim to an attack off the coast of the Musandam Governorate.

Following this, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre also reported on Friday that a ship was attacked by an "unknown projectile" near Lavan Island, close to the Iranian mainland, although the crew members were reported safe. An Iranian official reported two fishermen missing and two others injured, and blamed the US for the attack. Iran has repeatedly warned that ships passing through this route without Tehran's permission will be 'destroyed'. Tehran has gained mostly control over this waterway since the war started by the US and Israel on February 28.