The Iranian government has warned that even a limited attack could trigger a response “several times larger.”
Published October 24, 2026
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has accused the US government of abandoning an interim agreement aimed at ending the war between the US and Israel, amid growing concerns that fighting could soon resume.
However, in comments broadcast by Iran Press TV on Saturday, Pezeshkian also said the two sides should return to the agreement and “conclude” it.
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His comments came amid growing concerns that military action could resume as early as this weekend, after US President Donald Trump said on Friday that “we might do another little Epic Fury,” using the code name for the US-Israeli war against Iran that began on February 28.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) warned that even a limited attack would provoke a response “several times larger,” according to comments carried by the semi-state Fars news agency.
Iranian military chief of staff Ali Abdullahi said on Saturday that U.S. forces would not be allowed into the Gulf “under any circumstances, at any time.” Abdullahi said Trump could only “dream” of US troops entering the Gulf, adding that he would take that dream with him to his grave.
President Trump has signaled the possibility of further military action against Iran, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he remains determined to overthrow his country’s government.
Both leaders face elections, and Israel is expected to choose its next government on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Republican Party, led by President Trump, is facing important midterm elections on November 3, and there is a possibility that Democrats will gain a majority in both houses of Congress. Such an outcome would be a major blow to President Trump, who still has more than two years left in his final term in the White House.
Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said on Saturday that Tehran “will not wait for authorization to defend itself,” adding that the country “seeks peace, but will respond to any aggression with serious consequences.”
“Our position is clear. We will not run away from dialogue for peace and we will not hesitate to defend our country. Those who harbor illusions of destroying Iran must revise their calculations,” Mohajerani said in the memo.
Her comments came as Iranian Attorney General Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei met with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. The two men discussed tackling corruption and seeking reparations for Iranians affected by the U.S.-Israel war, among other issues.
Khamenei replaced his father as supreme leader after he was assassinated during the war-opening offensive on February 28. He has not been seen in public since taking office in early March.
Parliament Speaker and Chief Negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reportedly met with Khamenei earlier this week.
