Iran weighs a wider response to any renewed US assault, Reuters reports

Iranian commanders are examining a broader response should the United States resume major military attacks, Reuters reported on Thursday. Three senior Iranian officials and another source familiar with the discussions described plans that could extend to countries supporting US operations and locations beyond the Middle East.

Preparations, not an announced operation

The report says no final decision has been taken. Two officials told Reuters that allied groups in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq had been told to prepare to support Iran if another large-scale attack takes place. Iran’s foreign ministry had not immediately responded to the agency’s request for comment. The account therefore remains attributed reporting about internal deliberations.

A diplomatic channel remains

Reuters also describes continued exchanges through Qatar, with disagreement over when nuclear negotiations should begin and what conditions must precede them. Military preparations and indirect talks are running alongside one another.

The distinction that matters

The new development is the reported scope of contingency planning. It does not establish that targets have been approved, that an attack is imminent or that diplomacy has ended. Those are separate questions requiring further evidence.