Iran Warns War Could Spread to Indian Ocean if US Attacks Again

An adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has warned that Tehran could expand the ongoing Middle East conflict to the Indian Ocean if the United States launches another attack.

Yahya Rahim Safavi, an adviser to the supreme leader, issued the warning on Thursday in a video released by Iran’s Fars news agency.

“Since the conflict has spread from the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea, it is possible that, in response to more war, the front will expand even further, reaching the Indian Ocean and perhaps beyond,” Safavi said.

The warning comes amid heightened tensions across key maritime routes in the Middle East, including the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea.

The Houthis, who are fighting Saudi-backed government forces in Yemen, recently took control of parts of the Red Sea coastline, according to the report, tightening their grip around the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The waterway connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and provides a major maritime route between Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal.

Iran has long provided military support to the Houthis but has denied direct involvement in the Yemen conflict.

Iran has also locked down the Strait of Hormuz off its southern coast, following US-Israeli strikes that triggered the latest escalation in the Middle East conflict.

The United States and Iran are now contesting control of the strategic waterway, through which a significant share of global oil and gas shipments previously passed.

Safavi’s warning was notable because it specifically mentioned the Indian Ocean as a possible area of escalation if US attacks resume.

The Indian Ocean is home to the strategically important US-British military facility at Diego Garcia, located nearly 4,000 kilometres from Iran.

The warning comes as Iranian and US officials held talks in New York this week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in another effort to end the conflict.

Iran has reportedly set conditions for ending the war, including the lifting of sanctions imposed on its economy and the unconditional release of its frozen assets abroad.

A spokesman for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Mohebi, also discussed the possibility of ending the war in Yemen during an interview with AFP on Tuesday.