Iran’s Supreme Leader: “Immediate response without geographical limits if the United States and Israel attack again”

[Financial News] Amid discussion of the possibility that the United States and Israel could resume military operations against Iran, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, warned that Iran would retaliate immediately, with “no geographical limits,” if the enemy launched further attacks, and called for the highest level of military readiness.

According to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency and other foreign media, on the 31st (local time), Supreme Leader Mojtaba said at a meeting with senior military commanders and in an official statement on Telegram that forces “must counter threats of any level or type with an immediate, forceful and effective response without geographical limits.”
He specifically ordered, “Fully update the military target database so that all physical and nonphysical assets of the hostile forces of the United States and the Zionists (Israel) can be brought within the Iranian military’s striking range.” He did not explain what “nonphysical assets” specifically meant.
He added that “intelligent combat readiness for a robust confrontation with the enemy is a fundamental prerequisite for securing maximum deterrence,” and emphasized, “If the enemy resumes military attacks or terrorism, it will be the armed forces and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran who decide when and under what conditions the conflict ends.”
At the meeting, Mojtaba also called for measures to expand Iran’s practical defense capabilities. He stressed the need to strengthen military intelligence systems, deepen independent (homegrown) defense capabilities in both doctrine and tactics, and advance modern defense and security capabilities using new technologies. He also ordered the strengthening of spiritual foundations, including the spirit of jihad (holy war), and the resolution of service members’ livelihood problems, while expressing appreciation for the steadfast stance of the “resistance front,” whose members are in solidarity across several countries.

Mojtaba’s show-of-force order came as President Donald Trump of the United States repeatedly hinted at the possibility of further airstrikes against Iran ahead of the U.S. midterm elections on the 3rd of next month. It is also seen as reflecting the possibility that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has led the war against Iran alongside the United States since late February, could form a new coalition government and remain in power, after both pro- and anti-Netanyahu camps failed to win a majority in Israel’s recent general election.
Meanwhile, after his father, former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, was killed in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on February 28, Mojtaba was elected as the next supreme leader by the Assembly of Experts in March. However, he has rarely appeared in public since taking office, fueling persistent speculation about his health. U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies believe he has been isolated since being seriously wounded while with his father during the airstrikes in February.


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