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Iran live updates: Tehran warns of 'powerful response' to any renewed attack

Iranian officials have warned against the resumption of U.S.-Israeli strikes.

Iran live updates: Tehran warns of 'powerful response' to any renewed attack
Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images
ByDavid Brennan
Last Updated: November 2, 2026, 11:25 AM GMT

Talks between the U.S. and Iran remain stalled despite the two countries signing a memorandum of understanding in June, aimed at ending the war that began with joint American-Israeli strikes on the country in February. The opening strikes killed a host of top Iranian officials and commanders, among them Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The two sides have continued to exchange strikes, though have not returned to the intense fighting seen in the early stages of the conflict. The U.S. says it is enforcing a naval blockade of the country's Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman ports, while Iran claims control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz and continues to claim attacks on shipping transiting the waterway.

Meanwhile, intensified fighting between Saudi-backed Yemeni forces and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen has seen the latter repeatedly attack Saudi military, oil infrastructure and transport facilities.

See the most recent developments below.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
2 hours and 47 minutes ago

Ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz, Persian Gulf, UKTMO says

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre reported two attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf that occurred on Sunday.

The first incident occurred on Sunday afternoon, when a merchant vessel in the Strait of Hormuz reported that another ship in the area was "struck by an unknown projectile," UKMTO said.

On Sunday night, a tanker traveling southeast through the Persian Gulf "was struck by two unknown projectiles" while around 72 nautical miles east of the coastal Saudi city of Ras al-Khafji, UKMTO said.

3 hours and 18 minutes ago

Trump says he had 'very good' call with Netanyahu

President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday that he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday.

The president did not offer any detail on the call, beyond describing it as "good" and confirming they discussed the war with Iran.

"We had a very good talk," Trump said.

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr

Nov 01, 2026, 3:59 PM GMT

Tehran prepared for 'defense and diplomacy,' Araghchi says

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that Tehran is prepared for "both defense and diplomacy," amid ongoing talks between Iranian and Qatari representatives over a possible peace deal to end the U.S.-Israeli war against the country that began in February.

“Our armed forces have a very specific mission, and by leveraging the lessons learned from the two previous wars, they are now significantly stronger than before,” Araghchi said, as quoted by the semi-official Mehr News Agency.

-ABC News’ Rashid Haddou

Nov 01, 2026, 11:42 AM GMT

Tehran officials vow 'immediate' response to any fresh attacks

Iranian Defense Minister Mehrdad Akhlaghi warned in a statement on Sunday that Tehran is "committed to strengthening combat readiness and ensuring an immediate, effective and proportionate response to any threat, anywhere, without geographical limits."

Akhlaghi's statement -- which was published by the semi-official Mehr News Agency -- came amid concerns that the U.S. and Israel may soon resume strikes on the country amid stalled peace negotiations. President Donald Trump has said that the U.S. will not launch any new attacks until after the midterm elections on Nov. 3.

Several other top Iranian officials and commanders have issued similar warnings. In comments published by Mehr on Sunday, Mohsen Rezaei -- the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and a key military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei -- said any new strikes would be met with "devastating" retaliation."

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