Tehran may expand the Middle East war to the Indian Ocean if the United States attacks again, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned on Thursday.
The warning comes after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis recently took control of the Red Sea coastline and strengthened their hold on the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which links Asia and Europe. Iranian officials had previously threatened to widen the conflict if U.S. strikes resumed, but Thursday’s warning was the first to specifically mention the Indian Ocean, home to the strategic U.S.–British military base at Diego Garcia. Iranian media also reported Thursday that Iranian airlines were no longer permitted to fly to the United Arab Emirates. “We have fully prepared ourselves for a decisive war, and the U.S.’s military vulnerabilities are completely known to us,” Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei said.
The warning comes as U.S. and Iranian officials pursue efforts to end the conflict, including talks held in New York this week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian nevertheless struck a defiant tone at the UN on Wednesday, saying Iran would never “bend at the knee” under U.S. pressure and defending Tehran’s restrictions on passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has demanded the lifting of economic sanctions and the unconditional release of its frozen assets abroad as part of its conditions for ending the war.
Iran’s warning highlights the tension between renewed diplomacy and Tehran’s efforts to demonstrate the potential costs of further military pressure. By signaling that renewed U.S. or Israeli attacks could trigger escalation beyond the conflict’s existing fronts, Tehran is seeking to strengthen its position as negotiations continue. The threat also raises the stakes for Washington and its allies, which would have to weigh further military action against the possibility of a broader confrontation affecting additional regional and economic interests. (Agencies+EIR)
