Ahead of Trump-Netanyahu meet, Iran says conflict will spread ‘geographically’ if US renews strikes after 2 days of quiet; reports progress on talks with Oman on Strait of Hormuz.
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s army warned on Sunday that the Middle East war would widen if the United States chose to press ahead with attacks on the Islamic Republic, ahead of the visit of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington. The stark caution came after the second night in succession without US strikes on Iran, following nearly two weeks of nightly attacks and responses by Tehran that targeted US allies across the Middle East, but not Israel, which stayed out of the fighting. Iran said on Sunday it has halted retaliatory attacks in the region after the United States stopped its strikes on the country for the past two nights.
“Since… our strategy has essentially been retaliatory, we have also halted our retaliatory operations,” said army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia, confirming there have been no US strikes over the past 48 hours. Earlier, he told state television that he believed Israel was trying to prod the US into resuming attacks. “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 airstrikes, geographically this will expand further,” Akraminia said.
He said the war had already expanded to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance of the Red Sea, referencing the recent military flare-up between Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia. “The scope of our operations now encompasses the entire region, from US bases in Jordan to the countries along the Persian Gulf,” he said. Akraminia said the situation in the Middle East for the United States is “difficult and unsettled,” predicting that Washington was now looking “for a new strategy.” “We are prepared for each of the options and scenarios that appear likely,” he added. (Read More)
