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Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei met with the country's top military commanders on Saturday, Oct. 31, and ordered that any renewed U.S. or Israeli attack be answered with what his office's statement called "an immediate, impactful and geographically unrestricted response", according to Channel NewsAsia and Hindustan Times. Axios reported that the meeting included armed forces chief of staff Gen. Ali Abdollahi, army commander Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Maj. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, and described it as the first publicly disclosed meeting between Khamenei and all of Iran's top commanders since the war began.

The statement, as quoted by Firstpost, said: "If the enemies once again launch military or terrorist attacks, it is the armed forces of the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation that will determine the time and conditions for ending them". Several outlets reported that Khamenei also ordered the military to update Iran's target list to include "all types of tangible and intangible assets belonging to the American-Zionist enemy", in the wording used by Channel NewsAsia.

Khamenei became supreme leader after U.S.-Israeli strikes at the start of the war on Feb. 28 killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Los Angeles Times and Firstpost noted that he has not been seen publicly since taking the post.

How outlets covered it

Most outlets, including Channel NewsAsia, Hindustan Times, Axios and Straight Arrow News, presented the directive as conditional: a response to any renewed attack. Right-leaning Daily Express US headlined it as preparing commanders for a "massive attack after midterms", and left-leaning Raw Story called it a "dark new threat"; both articles describe the same conditional directive other outlets reported.

Breitbart led with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's post on X, which it said was a response to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz: "100bn Euro is nothing compared to the Earth-shattering blow Iran's Powerful Armed Forces will deal against those who dare harm our people". Breitbart also reported that Abdollahi raised the prospect of Iran acting first, quoting him as saying "the armed forces will not wait for the enemy to launch an attack before deciding when and how to respond". The American Conservative also cited Araghchi's "Red lines are a thing of the past" post.

The question of Khamenei's condition got different treatment. Breitbart said he was "reportedly severely wounded" in the opening strikes and that his communications have appeared only in written statements. RedState said it is "still not 100 percent clear where the leader of Iran is right now or what his true health status might be". Most other outlets did not raise the issue beyond noting he hasn't appeared in public.

The diplomatic track

Coverage split on how much space to give to diplomacy happening at the same time. The Los Angeles Times, Straight Arrow News and The Gateway Pundit reported Araghchi's statement that talks with mediators had shortened Iran's proposed timeline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to two days. The Los Angeles Times also reported that Maj. Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said of a letter from Vice President JD Vance that "the tone has completely changed". Hindustan Times and The Gateway Pundit listed Iran's stated conditions, including lifting sanctions imposed after the Islamabad memorandum and reducing U.S. forces in the region.

On the U.S. side, Breitbart quoted President Donald Trump saying the U.S. is "not in that much of a hurry" and that negotiations were "going fine", and quoted Secretary of State Marco Rubio: "We can achieve military objectives if we seek to. He hasn't made a decision". Channel NewsAsia quoted Rubio saying "if there is a diplomatic solution, we would be open to it". Fox News reported a State Department spokesperson's warning that "there will be consequences" if Iran continues what it called malign activities.

Raw Story tied the directive to a prediction by Republican strategist Karl Rove that Trump would resume strikes after Tuesday's election, and reported that a third aircraft carrier strike group is headed to the region. The Gateway Pundit focused on competing claims in the Strait of Hormuz, noting that an IRGC claim about tankers hitting mines had not been independently confirmed and that U.S. Central Command denied a separate IRGC drone claim.

Several outlets in the story, including The Wall Street Journal and Newsmax, are listed here by headline only because their article text was not available to RUSH.