Iran Warns War Could Expand to Indian Ocean if US Attacks

Iran has warned that the Middle East conflict could spread to the Indian Ocean if the United States launches further attacks, as Tehran and Washington continue efforts to end the war.

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

Safavi said the conflict had already expanded beyond the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea and could extend further into the Indian Ocean and beyond if fighting intensifies.

“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,” Yahya Rahim Safavi said. 

The warning comes as Yemen’s Houthis, who are fighting Saudi-backed government forces, have taken control of parts of the Red Sea coastline, strengthening their position around the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, which connects Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal.

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

Tehran has also effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz off its coast following US-Israeli strikes that triggered the wider conflict at the end of February.

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

Iranian officials had previously warned that the conflict could expand geographically if US attacks resumed, but Thursday’s statement was the first time an adviser to the supreme leader explicitly referred to the Indian Ocean.

The Indian Ocean includes Diego Garcia, a strategic US-British military base located nearly 4,000 kilometres from Iran.

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

Iran has said lifting economic sanctions and securing the unconditional release of its frozen overseas assets are among its conditions for ending the war.

In an interview with AFP on Tuesday, Revolutionary Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebi also identified an end to the war in Yemen as part of Iran’s position.