Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, warned the United States on Saturday against launching new attacks. A statement attributed to him said Iran's armed forces and its people would decide when, and on what terms, any renewed fighting would end.
The statement, posted on Khamenei's Telegram channel, came during what was reported as his first meeting with senior military commanders. They included armed forces chief of staff Ali Abdollahi, army chief Amir Hatami and Revolutionary Guards commander Ahmad Vahidi.
According to the statement, Khamenei ordered the commanders to meet any threat, of any type or level, with an immediate and forceful response that would not be limited geographically.
Khamenei has not been seen publicly since becoming supreme leader. He took the role after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes at the start of the war in February.
Washington's response
In Washington's first response of the day, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Trump had not decided whether to order new strikes on Iran. Speaking at a G20 press conference in Atlanta, Rubio said the United States had the capability to achieve its military objectives but would prefer a peaceful outcome.
Rubio declined to say whether progress had been made in recent days. He said there was no timeframe for the talks between the two countries, which are being conducted through mediators.
He repeated that the main U.S. objective is to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He also accused Tehran of threatening to attack ships and to destroy the energy infrastructure of its neighbors if its demands are not met.
Talks through mediators
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran had no plans to meet with American officials. He dismissed suggestions otherwise as speculation. He said Iran's conditions were clear and that mediators were still discussing them.
Qatari and Pakistani mediators met in Doha on Saturday, with an Iranian delegation present. Last weekend, Iranian officials received an outline for a peace deal from the United States through Qatari mediators, in an effort led by Vice President JD Vance.
Araghchi described the U.S. attempt to open broader dialogue as a positive step. He cautioned, however, that if the purpose of Vance's message was to sow divisions, it would be another mistake by Washington. He said a decision on whether negotiations would be direct or indirect would come only after the United States accepts Iran's conditions.
Araghchi also said a new proposal had been reached with mediators that would cut the time needed to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz to two days. Last month, he had proposed reopening the waterway within a week if the United States lifted its blockade of Iranian ports, released frozen Iranian assets and waived sanctions on Iranian oil sales, among other conditions. That offer was rejected.
Iran's nuclear doctrine
Separately, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said Iran had made no new decision to change its nuclear doctrine. He said the question of whether to keep the existing doctrine has been raised in the event that war breaks out again, but that no official decision had been made. Rezaei said he had not yet responded to a letter from Vance outlining some U.S. positions for peace talks.
Iran has repeatedly said it never sought to enrich uranium to weapons grade, a claim the United States and Israel have largely disputed. Iran's nuclear sites were struck last summer by the United States and Israel and again in this year's fighting, and it is unclear what capabilities remain.
Regional officials also weighed in on Saturday. Speaking at a security forum in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia's vice minister of foreign affairs, Waleed ElKhereiji, said efforts were underway to prevent a military escalation and reach a deal to end the crisis, though he said no one could predict the outcome. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, speaking at the same event, said a second round of fighting would be more dangerous and destructive.
Concerns about a return to full-scale war have grown, especially after Tuesday's midterm elections in the United States. Trump has suggested at recent rallies that he could quickly end the war through military action.
Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz
Tensions at sea continued. Iran claimed on Saturday that another tanker on the southern route through the Strait of Hormuz had struck a mine and caught fire. Iran has claimed that nearly 10 ships have hit mines in the strait, specifically along the Omani coastline, a lane favored by the United States and considered prohibited by Iran.
According to the U.K. Marine Trade Operations Centre, 59 of the 81 attacks on ships in the strait since July 6 have been on the southern route.
U.S. Central Command said its blockade has now redirected 144 vessels. Two weeks earlier, it had put that number at 138.
