Iran considers broader response to potential US attack, Reuters reports

Iranian leadership is considering expanding its response to any new US attack to include targets beyond the Middle East, Reuters reported, citing three senior Iranian officials and a source familiar with the discussions. This comes as Tehran steps up military preparations alongside ongoing diplomatic efforts, although officials privately believe the chances of successful negotiations are slim.

According to the sources, senior Iranian leaders are reviewing plans for a broader and more forceful response if the United States resumes large-scale military operations. They are considering expanding potential targets beyond US-linked sites to include countries supporting US military actions and possibly locations outside the Middle East.

Tehran has not made a final decision on its response, but planning has intensified since Masoud Pezeshkian returned from New York last week. Leaders and senior officials have focused on the possible scope and timing of any response should Washington launch a new attack.

As part of its preparations, two officials said Iran has instructed allied groups in Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq to be ready to support it if a large-scale US attack resumes. The response, they said, would be coordinated and could extend "from the Strait of Hormuz to US interests in the region and beyond the Middle East."

These developments come seven months after the conflict began with American-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28. A ceasefire agreement on April 8 ended a 40-day phase of the war, but military operations have periodically resumed since then.