Iran is preparing a broader and more forceful response if the United States launches major military strikes again, including possible attacks on facilities in countries supporting US operations and potentially on targets beyond the Middle East, Reuters reported, citing unnamed sources.
Tehran is simultaneously pursuing diplomatic efforts, although Iranian officials privately believe the chances of those initiatives succeeding are very low, according to the report.
Three senior Iranian officials and a person familiar with the discussions said Iran’s top military commanders were reviewing plans to expand the list of potential targets. The planning would move beyond facilities directly linked to the United States and consider sites in countries supporting US military operations, as well as possible locations outside the Middle East.
Iranian military commanders and senior officials have intensified discussions over the nature and timing of a response if the United States attacks again since President Masoud Pezeshkian returned from New York last week.
No final decision has been taken, the sources said. Military planning has intensified as neither side appears willing to move towards a settlement.
Hamidreza Azizi, a senior Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group, said Tehran remains uncertain whether President Donald Trump would launch another major military operation or take more limited action, such as strikes on nuclear facilities.
“They do not appear determined to respond symbolically to symbolic actions,” Azizi said. “Rather, they seem to want to escalate tensions in the hope of restoring deterrence.”
Tehran is also considering the political risks for Trump of a prolonged conflict. Polls show that the war is unpopular among Americans, while high energy prices have become an additional concern ahead of the midterm elections.
Two Iranian officials said allied groups in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq had been instructed to prepare to assist Iran if the United States launches another major attack.
The instructions were to prepare for a coordinated response that could extend “from the Strait of Hormuz to the region and US interests beyond the Middle East”, the officials said. Iran’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Tehran has kept the path for negotiations open while preparing for a wider war. A major concern for Iranian leaders is whether the country’s economy can withstand a prolonged conflict under US sanctions.
US sanctions have halted Iran’s oil exports, a major source of government revenue. Years of sanctions and a deepening economic crisis had already placed severe pressure on ordinary Iranians.
During last week’s United Nations General Assembly session in New York, Tehran sent a proposal to Washington through Qatari mediators. Iran said acceptance of the proposal could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and halt hostilities across the region within seven days.
Iranian authorities said the proposal called for an end to the war, the lifting of the US blockade on Iranian ports, the release of at least $12 billion in frozen Iranian funds, and the removal or easing of oil sanctions against Iran.
Trump said on Saturday that he had rejected Iran’s proposal. Iranian state media later reported that Tehran received a US response through Qatar on Tuesday and was reviewing it.
Iranian sources said Washington wants Iran’s disputed nuclear programme to be included in negotiations. Tehran’s position is that nuclear talks can begin only after its specified “seven conditions” are met.
“Even if Iran does not directly reject the US response and indirect talks continue, the possibility of an agreement between the two sides is very low,” an Iranian official said.
Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran programme at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said prospects for a diplomatic resolution remained limited.
“Iran cannot afford to sustain such US sanctions for long,” Vatanka said. “This could bring about a major change, effectively taking oxygen out of the government’s lungs. At this stage, further escalation is likely.”
The conflict has seen temporary pauses followed by renewed attacks since hostilities began. Thousands of civilians have been killed, Iran’s military capabilities have been damaged, and the country’s already weak economy has suffered further blows.
For the United States, the war has failed to achieve Trump’s changing objectives while reducing the Pentagon’s missile stockpiles, the report said. Iran and its allies have sought to raise the cost of war for Washington by spreading the conflict across the region.
Iran and allied groups have disrupted oil transport through the Strait of Hormuz, increasing risks in global energy markets. Iran has launched drone and missile attacks against US allies in the Gulf, while the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have targeted facilities in Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis’ movement towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has created a second pressure point on global energy shipping routes, giving the Iran-backed group an opportunity to exert influence over the southern entrance to the Red Sea.
A person close to the decision-making process said the combined impact of military pressure and economic sanctions was becoming increasingly difficult for Iran’s religious leadership to sustain.
The pressure has also intensified concerns among Iranian leaders over domestic stability. A former senior Iranian reformist official said leaders fear a repeat of nationwide protests in January, which spread amid worsening economic conditions.
Iranian authorities eventually suppressed the protests, during which several demonstrators were killed, the official said.
“When unrest is taking place inside the country while the state is under US pressure and bombardment, it can pose an extremely serious challenge to the legitimacy of the ruling system,” the official said.
Iranian authorities have tightened control as the anniversary of the January protests approaches. Authorities are also seeking to keep the public mobilised and encouraging loyal government supporters to return to nighttime rallies.
Human rights organisations said the Iranian government intensified its campaign against dissent during the war.