Updated

President Donald Trump said on October 23, 2026, at a campaign rally in Fort Myers, Florida, that the United States may launch another military operation against Iran, referring to a possible repeat of "Epic Fury," as the war approaches its eighth month. Iranian officials, including Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, security council secretary Mohsen Rezaei and IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi, warned against underestimating Iran and threatened to strike regional infrastructure, communications cables and other targets if hostilities resume; Rezaei said Iran will not resume talks or reopen the Strait of Hormuz until seven conditions are met. Diplomatic talks in Istanbul involving Turkey, Pakistan and European and Middle Eastern foreign ministers produced no breakthrough, with Turkey's foreign minister warning that a renewed attack would expand the conflict. Tehran has increased security patrols and slowed internet access amid fears of fresh unrest, while Iranians have been debating online whether another war could bring political change or deepen the country's crises. Iranian state media published images it said showed extensive damage to US bases from Iran's earlier retaliatory strikes, and the IRGC Navy claimed US forces had pulled back 600 to 700 kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials also criticized $11 billion in US taxpayer spending on missile defense for Israel, framing it as evidence of a "parasitic" US-Israel alliance, as the broader US-Iran conflict that began in February 2026 continues to draw in regional and international mediators.