Iranian adviser warns conflict could spread to Indian Ocean

An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader has warned that Tehran could widen the Middle East conflict to the Indian Ocean if the United States launches another attack. Yahya Rahim Safavi said in a video released by Iran’s Fars news agency that the conflict had already spread from the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea. He said a further escalation could extend the front to the Indian Ocean and possibly beyond.

The warning marks the first time, according to the supplied report, that an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader has explicitly mentioned the Indian Ocean. The area includes Diego Garcia, a strategic US-British military base located nearly 4,000 kilometres from Iran. The report said Yemen’s Houthi movement had recently taken control of Red Sea coastline, strengthening its position around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a key route linking Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal.

Iran has long provided military support to the Houthis but denies involvement in Yemen’s conflict. Iran has also closed the Strait of Hormuz off its coast in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes that triggered the war at the end of February, according to the report. Iran and the United States are competing for control of the waterway, through which much of the world’s oil and gas passed before the conflict.

Officials from Iran and the United States held talks in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Iran has said ending sanctions and securing the unconditional release of frozen assets are conditions for ending the war.