The Independent, on Iran, 31 October 2026

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Iran's leader says response to US attacks would have no 'geographic limits'

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Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in Iran leader says response to US attacks would have no 'geographic limits' Brittney Donovan Saturday 31 October 2026 19:36 GMT Bookmark popover Removed from bookmarks Close popover 'We're making a freaking fortune': Trump dismisses high gas prices Iranian negotiators met with Qatari mediators in Doha on Saturday to discuss paths to avert further military conflict in the Gulf ahead of US midterm elections.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that President Donald Trump prefers a diplomatic solution but has not yet decided whether to launch new strikes against Iran once voting concludes. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei ordered the nation's armed forces to prepare an immediate and impactful response to any potential US or Israeli attacks. "Any level or type of threat must be met with an immediate, impactful, and geographically unrestricted response," Khamenei said on Saturday in a statement posted on his official Telegram account.

He has not appeared in public since replacing his father, who was slain at the war's outset. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran is studying a letter from US Vice President JD Vance regarding talks, while maintaining that Iran's own proposal to lift US blockades is the primary option on the table.

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About this analysis

The Independent reports Iran's supreme leader ordering his armed forces to prepare a response to any US or Israeli attack, alongside talks in Doha and Rubio's remark that Trump has not decided on new strikes. Each claim is attributed to the person who made it, and Iran's own diplomatic position is given in its own terms. Nothing in this short bulletin misleads its reader.

What it gets right

  • “Khamenei said on Saturday in a statement posted on his official Telegram account”

    The Independent quotes Khamenei directly and names where the statement came from. The headline's quoted phrase is therefore backed by his own words.

  • “an immediate and impactful response to any potential US or Israeli attacks”

    The Independent presents the order as a response to possible US or Israeli attacks. It does not present it as an unprovoked threat, which matches what Khamenei said.

  • “Iran's own proposal to lift US blockades is the primary option on the table”

    The Independent gives Iran's diplomatic position in its own terms and names the US blockades. Iran is not reduced to its leader's warning.

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