Iran has placed its armed forces on the highest level of combat readiness after United States President Donald Trump hinted at a possible new military operation against Tehran. Reports on 24 October said the readiness order was issued by Army Commander Brigadier General Ali Jahanshahi, who warned that negligence under wartime conditions could have grave consequences.

What Trump said

Speaking at a Republican campaign event in Florida on 23 October, Mr Trump referred to Operation Epic Fury, the US military operation against Iran launched at the end of February. He said the United States might have another similar operation, or Iran could agree to negotiate. He added that if Iranian leaders were smart, they would say they wanted to discuss the matter seriously, while expressing doubt that Tehran would take that step.

A weekend warning from Washington

The US ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, who is also the US special envoy to Syria, said in a podcast interview on 23 October that a strike could happen as early as that weekend. He was quoted as saying: “Could there be a strike this weekend? Of course.” Reports noted that Mr Barrack does not have a direct role in Iran-related affairs, so his remark was not presented as a confirmed military order.

Why the warning matters

Iran has responded by saying its forces are ready to fight again, according to the reports. The exchange comes after months of regional conflict that began with the US-Israeli war with Iran in late February. No final order for renewed strikes had been publicly declared in the reports reviewed, and the situation therefore remains a warning and a readiness measure rather than a confirmed new attack.