Iran has hinted that its forces could carry out land incursions into neighbouring countries if the US launches new strikes, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
The Wall Street Journal reported that some Iranian officials made the hint, according to unnamed people familiar with the warnings. The newspaper did not name the officials or the countries that could be targeted.
The report said Iran is fortifying its defences, rallying loyalists and threatening a harsher response against the US and its Gulf allies. It said Iran is preparing for possible US attacks after the US midterm elections on 3 November.
Iranian officials have warned, publicly and in private talks with regional officials, that Iran will escalate across the Middle East if the US launches new strikes, according to i24NEWS, which summarised the report.
Tehran also warned Arab officials that it could strike Saudi oil facilities, according to some of the people cited. Iran told mediators it would target US personnel more aggressively, including by trying to sink US warships, JFeed reported, citing the Wall Street Journal.
The newspaper said Iran built makeshift dirt mounds around the Pickaxe Mountain and Natanz nuclear sites last month to impede any ground raid. This was based on Vantor satellite images analysed by the Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington nonprofit.
The report also described preparations at home. It said paramilitary forces are reading war stories to kindergartners, billboards advertise courses in firing shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles, and rallies are being held.
General Gholamreza Jalali, who oversees contingency plans, said airports, seaports and power plants had "prepared for wartime conditions", according to i24NEWS.
Mohsen Rezaei said on Sunday that Tehran could target the United Arab Emirates, as well as data centres and internet cables across the region, according to i24NEWS and JFeed.
The Wall Street Journal said Iran has used the pause in fighting to rebuild missile and drone facilities and replenish its arsenal. It said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei praised the work but acknowledged supply-chain difficulties in early September, citing comments published by outlets linked to the Revolutionary Guard.
No response from the Iranian government to the report had been reported. No response from the US government or Gulf states had been reported either.
US President Donald Trump ruled out an attack before the midterms last week, but has publicly considered hitting the Pickaxe Mountain site, according to i24NEWS. US officials said the military is preparing a range of options.
A third US aircraft carrier strike group and another Marine expeditionary unit are heading to the Middle East, i24NEWS reported.
Iran fought a 12-day war with Israel in June 2025, during which US and Israeli strikes hit three main Iranian nuclear sites, according to the Jerusalem Post. i24NEWS reported that a later conflict between Iran and the US is now paused.
The Wall Street Journal has previously reported that Iran moved thousands of centrifuges into Pickaxe Mountain at Natanz after the 2025 war, citing Israeli and US officials. The US midterm elections take place on 3 November.
