Without Limitation, Within Range: Iran's Leader Orders an Updated Target Bank Days Before the U.S. Midterms
On October 31, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei received Iran's three senior military commanders and ordered that any threat be met with an immediate response "without geographical limitation." He also directed that the armed forces' target bank be updated so that all material and non-material assets of the United States and Israel fall within range, and said Iran would decide when and on what terms any renewed fighting ends. The report judges this the sharpest Iranian threat language to date. It came three days before the U.S. midterm elections and after reports of a Pentagon option for a three-day strike campaign. A same-day anniversary message calls the current conflict "the third imposed war." We assess that the orders set the public baseline for Iran's response to any post-election U.S. strike. An Iran Dossier special report for October 31, 2026.