Washington DC: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei met Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf on Wednesday amid reports of planned US-Israeli strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections.
Iranian media said the meeting covered recent military developments and the need to strengthen national unity and capabilities. Khamenei praised parliamentarians for promoting social cohesion and described public gatherings supporting the Islamic Republic and its armed forces as a deterrent. No official photographs of the meeting were released.
Ghalibaf is leading negotiations with Washington through intermediaries, including Qatar and Pakistan.
According to The New York Times, the US and Israeli militaries have drawn up plans for a short, intensive operation targeting Iran's energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenal. The report said military exercises had been stepped up, including flights over Iraq to practise strike manoeuvres.
US War Secretary Pete Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel this week to discuss the plans, the report said.
Iran has warned of a stronger response to any renewed attack. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said the armed forces had prepared a "more devastating plan" that would not follow the "rules they are familiar with", according to Iranian media.
Iranian response to potential strikes
Amid the possibility of renewed strikes, Iran has warned that it would respond to any renewed military action. According to Iranian state-affiliated media outlet Student News Network (SNN), Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi said, "The United States has the ‘Mother of All Bombs.’ We will show them the ‘Father of All Bombs,’ and it will definitely be something new for them."
But, Tehran has not provided details about the weapon or clarified what the threat entails.
The warning follows reports that US President Donald Trump has considered using the 22,000-pound GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), known as the "Mother of All Bombs", against Iran’s deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility.
According to The New York Times, weapons specialists have questioned whether the bomb, which explodes above ground, could destroy the underground site, which is composed of granite. Military officials have also warned that the bomb would have to be delivered by a slow-flying MC-130 transport aircraft vulnerable to Iranian anti-aircraft fire.
Iran's state broadcaster Press TV also quoted a senior security official as saying that Tehran was prepared for an all-out, multi-layered, and comprehensive war. The official said any renewed military aggression would be met with a response targeting the interests and objectives of the attackers and their regional supporters.
The NYT report
However, the news report said it remains uncertain whether Trump will approve fresh strikes. The US and Israel came close to launching an "attack" earlier this month, but Trump postponed the operation shortly before it was due to begin, despite extensive preparations and heightened alert levels among their air forces.
A White House official said the administration does not comment on military plans "that may or may not exist", adding that Trump was keeping all options on the table to ensure Iran cannot acquire nuclear weapons.
According to The New York Times, the United States is assembling a substantial military force expected to be fully in place by early November, including three aircraft carriers, thousands of Marines, fighter jets and Special Operations forces. Officials have cited political considerations, including Trump’s earlier pledge not to strike Iran before the midterm elections, as reasons the operation could be delayed.
The New York Times report said Washington was seeking to use the prospect of renewed military action as leverage in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme and control over the Strait of Hormuz. However, Iranian negotiators have resisted making concessions on the nuclear issue, insisting that the matter be deferred until later in the talks.
Some US planners believe an intensive three-day campaign could inflict enough economic damage to change Tehran’s position. However, the report noted that previous US-Israeli strikes between February and April drove up energy prices and inflation worldwide, eroded security in West Asia.
Pezeshkian's remarks
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, meanwhile, has highlighted the situation as a major challenge for Tehran. In an address to the Iranian Parliament, Pezeshkian said, "The memorandum of understanding we signed was very good; we hadn't given anything. The current situation is neither good for us, nor for the region, nor for the world."
He added, "We are in a super-challenge, not a challenge. America didn't think we would stand firm despite the pressure and war, but we stood firm, and we will continue to stand firm."
Iran’s representative to the United Nations also alleged, as cited by the SNN, that "Starlink has been used to identify and target in military attacks against Iran...The country's space and scientific infrastructure has been targeted in attacks."
US releases new round of Iran-related sanctions
Meanwhile, the United States on Wednesday released a new round of Iran-related sanctions targeting a law firm, shipping agents and multiple cargo vessels.
As part of Operation Economic Outcast, a sanctions campaign targeting Iran, the US Department of the Treasury sanctioned a Panama- and Greece-based law firm, according to a statement released on the website of the department.
The law firm has supported illicit Iranian shipping activity for years, indirectly aiding Tehran's ability to generate revenue "to fund its military, weapons, and nuclear programs," according to the statement.
The department sanctioned Singapore- and UAE-based shipping agents, saying they have directly aided Iranian shadow fleet operations.
The sanctions also targeted a fleet of cargo vessels that has helped generate substantial revenue for Iran, said the statement.
(With inputs from ANI & Reuters)
