TEHRAN — Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has instructed the country's armed forces to respond immediately and effectively to any potential enemy threat, regardless of its nature, scale or geographical location, the Iranian state news agency IRNA reported on Saturday.

Source: LaPresse (citing IRNA), Oct 31

"Any level or type of threat must be met with an immediate, impactful, and geographically unrestricted response," Khamenei said at a meeting with senior commanders, according to a statement from his office carried by Iranian media and his official account on X. "If the enemies once again launch military or terrorist attacks, it will be the armed forces of the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation that determine the time and conditions for ending them."

Source: News Central TV (citing Khamenei's office / Nour News), Oct 31

Khamenei also ordered a comprehensive update of Iran's military target database, so that what his office called all tangible and intangible assets of the United States and Israel are brought within the reach of Iranian forces, IRNA said. He named 'intelligent combat readiness' for a powerful confrontation as a requirement for what he called maximum deterrence, and called for Iran's military intelligence and defence capabilities to be strengthened with new technologies.

During the meeting, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Ali Abdollahi, Army Commander Major General Amir Hatami and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Major General Ahmad Vahidi briefed the supreme leader on readiness along the Persian Gulf coast, around the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, and on Iran's northwestern and southeastern borders, according to reports of the meeting.

Source: Eastora News (IRNA meeting readout), Oct 31

Warning issued as strike speculation and diplomacy run in parallel

The orders come amid growing speculation that the United States could resume strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections on November 3, while Qatari-mediated diplomatic contacts between Washington and Tehran continue in parallel. The Times of Israel reported that the statement, published on Khamenei's official Telegram account, carried an explicit warning to Washington against launching new attacks.

Source: Israel.com (citing Times of Israel / IRNA), Oct 31

For the lakhs of Indian and Punjabi workers living across the Gulf, any renewed US-Iran fighting carries direct risks: the Strait of Hormuz, through which much of the region's oil and gas moves, has seen repeated attacks on shipping in October, and Gulf states have already faced drone and missile fire this year. No new attack was reported alongside Saturday's statement, which was a directive and a warning, not an announcement of operations.