Araghchi replies to Merz: no red lines left if attacked again

Abbas Araghchi, the Islamic Republic's foreign minister, wrote in a post on X on Saturday 31 October 2026, in reply to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, that if a new attack is carried out on the Islamic Republic, Tehran will no longer respect its earlier limits and "there will be no more red lines". Merz had earlier backed the US and Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic and spoken of the "dirty work" that, in his words, Israel is doing on Europe's behalf.

The threat came on the day that the United States, according to an earlier DIAR report, told several Arab Gulf states to be ready for a new round of strikes after the 3 November congressional elections.

Threats from the army spokesman and the Supreme National Security Council secretary

Mohammad Akraminia, the Islamic Republic's army spokesman, also wrote on X that if the US president starts a new adventure in the region, the fire of war will engulf a much wider geographical area. He said the plan for a military response to possible attacks has been completed and the list of targets has been widened to the political centres, facilities and headquarters of its enemies and their regional backers; he gave no details of the plan.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, also threatened European countries, saying they must pay the price for supporting the war. Rezaei has still not answered the letter from US Vice President JD Vance; DIAR reported on that letter earlier.

Claim of an attack on two fishing boats near Qeshm

Fars news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), claimed on Saturday that an "enemy" drone hit two fishing boats 14 nautical miles south of Qeshm Island, leaving two fishermen missing and two injured. The Qeshm governorate blamed the attack on the United States. No independent source has confirmed the claim, and US Central Command (CENTCOM) had said nothing about it at the time this report was published. On Friday CENTCOM called another IRGC claim, about the destruction of an American unmanned vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, false.

Qatari mediation continues

Meanwhile, the Qatari mediators who were in Tehran on Friday are continuing the talks in Doha on Saturday. The main dispute is over the order of steps: Washington wants the nuclear file settled first, while Tehran demands the lifting of the blockade of its ports and sanctions relief before any new commitment. A senior Islamic Republic official has called Qatar's new proposals unacceptable. US President Donald Trump says the war will end soon and that Tehran needs a deal more than Washington does.

With only days to go before the US congressional elections, Islamic Republic officials threatened Europe and the countries of the region with a wider war.