Iran and the United States have traded threats for weeks even as they pursue diplomacy, with the possibility of military escalation after the US midterm elections still looming.

A statement attributed to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on October 31 directed the armed forces to be ready to respond to an attack "immediately, effectively, and with no geographical restriction."

That last point has fueled speculation in Iran about what it could entail and whether Tehran has the capability to deliver on its threat.

When the United States and Israel first attacked Iran on February 28, Tehran responded by striking military and civilian sites in Arab states across the Persian Gulf, insisting it was targeting US interests in the region.

Analysts say the Islamic republic hoped that regionalizing the conflict and striking the territory of US allies would pressure Washington into halting its attacks.

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Some in Tehran now suggest the next phase of the war -- if it reignites as Trump has threatened -- would go further. Conservative lawmaker and former Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki said the next conflict "will not be a regional war."

Speaking on state television after Khamenei's statement was released, Mottaki touted Iran's missile capabilities and warned that if Iran is attacked, the ensuing war "will reach Europe."

Conservative commentator Ali Qolhaki echoed that view, writing on X that the threat to expand Iran's targets beyond the region likely meant Europe -- namely countries such as Great Britain, Italy, Greece, and Germany who host US armed forces and are part of Washington's global military deployment and logistical support network -- was now in Iran's crosshairs.

Iranian media, meanwhile, have framed the statement as a sign that Tehran's policy on the range of its missiles may be shifting.

For years, Iran has maintained a 2,000-kilometer limit on the range of its missiles, a cap that former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he had imposed despite objections from military figures.