Iran Warns War Could Spread to Indian Ocean if Attacked Again

TEHRAN, — Iran has warned that any fresh attack by the United States or Israel could see the ongoing Middle East war expand into the Indian Ocean, as tensions remain high across the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, senior military adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said Iran’s armed forces are prepared for every possible scenario, including further strikes on the country’s installations or national interests.
Quoted by Iran’s Fars news agency, Safavi said: “We don’t know what is going on in the minds of [US President] Trump and [Israeli Prime Minister] Netanyahu.” He warned that further escalation could significantly widen the war’s geographic scope, noting that with the conflict already having spread from the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea, a further phase of confrontation with the US could extend the front to the Indian Ocean or beyond.
The warning comes as Yemen’s Houthi rebels have tightened their grip over stretches of the Red Sea coastline, adding pressure around the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait — a vital corridor linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean. Since attacks by the US and Israel in late February, which triggered the current phase of the war, Iran has also restricted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints, raising concerns over global oil markets and shipping.