Iran has warned that any renewed military strikes by the United States would escalate the conflict across the Middle East, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington.
Speaking on Iranian state television on Sunday, army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said any decision by Washington to launch fresh attacks in coordination with Israel would significantly broaden the conflict.
“I believe that if the Americans once again fall for the Zionists’ deception, or move in line with them, and insist on continuing the war, particularly through air strikes, geographically this will expand further,” Akraminia said.
He claimed the conflict had already spread to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic waterway linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, pointing to recent clashes involving Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia.
Akraminia also said Iran’s military reach now extends across a broad stretch of the region, from US military bases in Jordan to countries bordering the Persian Gulf.
“The scope of our operations now encompasses the entire region, from US bases in Jordan to the countries along the Persian Gulf,” he said.
The military spokesman argued that the United States was facing an increasingly complex security situation in the Middle East and was searching for a new strategy to manage the crisis.
He added that Iran was prepared for any possible development.
“We are prepared for each of the options and scenarios that appear likely,” Akraminia said.
The warning comes ahead of Netanyahu’s scheduled meeting with President Trump at the White House on Tuesday, where regional security and the escalating tensions involving Iran are expected to feature prominently on the agenda.
