Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces, stressed the necessity of combat readiness, modernizing the target bank, and responding immediately and effectively to any threat from the enemy, without geographical restrictions. According to what was reported by Mehr News Agency today, Saturday (October 31, 2026), senior leaders of the Armed Forces met with Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
The Iranian warning comes as new diplomatic efforts continue to avoid a resumption of fighting, with the presence of Qatari mediators in Tehran and reports of US Vice President Jay D. Vance sending a letter to the Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei.
Mojtaba Khamenei considered during the meeting that “intelligent combat readiness to confront enemies forcefully” is one of the requirements of “maximum deterrence,” stressing the necessity of confronting any level or type of threat with an immediate and effective response, without geographical restrictions. He stressed that if the enemies resume their military or terrorist attacks, the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Iranian people will determine the time and circumstances for the end of these confrontations.
During the meeting, Major General Abdullahi, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Major General Hatami, Commander-in-Chief of the Army, and Major General Vahidi, Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, presented reports on the level of readiness of the country’s defenders on the coasts of the Gulf, and in the areas of operations of the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman, as well as on the northwestern and southeastern borders of the country. The leaders also presented reports on the several-fold increase in the production of various types of ammunition and weapons intended for reconnaissance, support and combat operations.
Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Akrami Nia said in a post on the
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also warned on Saturday that “Iran’s powerful armed forces will confront those who dare to harm our people.”
The spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, Turki Al-Maliki, said, “The air defense intercepted and destroyed an enemy march in the Riyadh region,” noting that “shrapnel from the interceptor fell without injuries.”
The coalition announced early on Saturday (October 31, 2026) that it had intercepted and destroyed a drone over the oil-rich eastern region of Saudi Arabia, as attacks by the Iran-allied Houthis continued in Yemen.
Cross-border attacks escalated between the Saudi-led coalition, which supports the internationally recognized Yemeni government, and the Houthi group, which controls the capital, Sanaa, which opened another front in the American-Israeli war against Iran.
The eastern region, which represents Saudi Arabia's economic powerhouse, has been subjected to multiple attacks from the Houthis in the past few weeks. The region contains the majority of the Kingdom's oil and gas reserves, and is also home to the headquarters of the giant oil company Saudi Aramco, which was severely damaged in an attack that occurred earlier in October.
The coalition also said that it later intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by the Houthis towards the southern region.
The coalition also said on Friday that it had intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by the Houthis over the Medina region in Saudi Arabia, but the Iran-allied group denied launching any attack on Friday. The Houthis have repeatedly denied targeting Mecca and Medina, rejecting Saudi accusations that they launched drones towards the two cities.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy announced today, Friday, that four oil tankers were subjected to explosions and fires broke out on board while trying to cross what it described as “unauthorized routes” in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important sea lanes for transporting oil in the world.
The Revolutionary Guard Navy said, in a statement reported by official Iranian media, that a fourth tanker carrying about two million barrels of crude oil collided with a sea mine, causing additional damage.
In a related context, the British Maritime Trade Operations Authority (UKMTO) reported that it had received a report about an incident that occurred in the Strait of Hormuz. The authority quoted a reliable source as saying that a crude oil tanker was hit by an unknown projectile while leaving the strait, without providing additional details about the party responsible for the accident.
The authority had previously reported that a ship was hit by a projectile in its left side about 40 nautical miles (74 kilometers) south of the Iranian island of Lawan, which led to a fire breaking out on board, stressing that the crew members were fine and that the accident did not result in environmental damage.
Lawan Island is located in the Gulf off the southern coast of Iran, and it is not yet clear whether the ship that the British Authority spoke about is the same as one of the four oil tankers that the Revolutionary Guard Navy said were involved in accidents.
In another development, official Iranian media reported that Iranian forces shot down an American MQM-170 drone over Qeshm Island, near the Strait of Hormuz, and confiscated it. Tehran also announced that it destroyed an American naval drone in the eastern part of the Strait. On the other hand, the US Central Command denied these allegations, confirming in a statement published on the “X” platform that all American naval vessels and drones in the Middle East had been accounted for and their safety had been verified.
The Pakistani army on Friday expressed "cautious optimism" about Islamabad's efforts to mediate between Iran and the United States, after a high-level delegation visited Tehran this week. Pakistani Army spokesman, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said that there are positive indicators on the path of mediation, in his first statements since the recent visit led by Pakistani Army Commander Asim Munir to the Iranian capital.
Munir visited Tehran twice this month, the last of which was last Monday, accompanied by Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and the head of the Turkish Intelligence Service, Ibrahim Kalin, in a move that reflected the participation of several regional powers in efforts aimed at reducing tension between Iran and the United States.
Pakistani army spokesman, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, added that the military establishment is “cautiously optimistic” about the chances of successful mediation, noting the presence of “strong parties seeking corruption and obstruction” because they believe that the continuation of the conflict serves their interests, without naming those parties.
The Saudi-led military coalition in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government announced on Friday the interception and destruction of two drones and a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis towards the Kingdom. The coalition spokesman, Turki Al-Maliki, said in posts on the “X” platform that the air defenses intercepted and destroyed a drone in the Riyadh region, and were also able to intercept a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis towards the southern region of the Kingdom.
For their part, the Houthis denied targeting Mecca, as the group's military spokesman, Yahya Saree, confirmed that his forces "did not carry out any operation towards the Saudi interior" during that day. He added that what Saudi Arabia announced about intercepting a drone in the airspace of Mecca is an “incorrect claim,” stressing that the group’s operations target Saudi oil installations and military bases.
These developments come in light of the escalation of the military confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, in parallel with renewed battles between the group and Yemeni government forces since the resumption of fighting last July. September witnessed a remarkable escalation, after the Houthis were able to achieve field gains and control strategic areas on the western coast and around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which is considered one of the most important sea lanes for global trade and oil shipping traffic.
