Iran Warns War Could Spread to Indian Ocean if US Strikes Resume
Mojtaba Khamenei adviser Yahya Rahim Safavi says Tehran could expand the conflict beyond the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, raising the prospect of wider regional disruption
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — An adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned Thursday that Tehran could expand the ongoing Middle East war to the Indian Ocean if the United States launches further attacks, signaling a possible widening of the conflict beyond its current maritime fronts.
Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said in a video released by Iran’s Fars news agency that the geographic scope of the conflict could extend beyond the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea.
“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 as tensions remain high over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy chokepoint, following US-Israeli strikes that triggered the current conflict at the end of February.
Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz off its southern coast in retaliation, while Washington and Tehran are now contesting control of the strategic waterway through which a significant share of global oil and gas shipments passed before the war.
Warning extends conflict's potential reach
Iranian officials have previously warned that renewed US military action could lead to the expansion of the war into additional geographic areas. Safavi’s remarks, however, mark the first reported instance in which an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader explicitly referred to the Indian Ocean.
The Indian Ocean is home to the strategically important US-British military base at Diego Garcia, located nearly 4,000 kilometers from Iran. The base has served as a major US military facility for operations across the Middle East and wider region.
The warning also comes amid developments around the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, another major maritime chokepoint connecting the Indian Ocean with the Red Sea and the Suez Canal route between Asia and Europe.
Yemen’s Houthis, who are fighting Saudi-backed government forces, recently took control of parts of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, strengthening their position near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Iran has long provided military support to the Houthis but denies direct involvement in the Yemen conflict.
The group has previously targeted commercial and military shipping in and around the Red Sea, prompting international military operations and disrupting one of the world’s key trade routes.
Diplomatic efforts continue
Safavi’s warning came as Iranian and US officials held talks in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in another effort to end the conflict.
Tehran has outlined conditions for ending the war, including the lifting of sanctions imposed on its economy and the unconditional release of Iranian assets frozen abroad.
In an exclusive interview with AFP on Tuesday, Revolutionary Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebi also cited an end to the war in Yemen among the issues linked to Tehran’s position on ending the conflict.
The latest Iranian warning underscores the broader maritime dimension of the war, with the Strait of Hormuz, Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab already emerging as key pressure points.
Any further expansion toward the Indian Ocean could widen the conflict’s potential impact on international shipping, energy markets and military deployments far beyond the immediate Middle East.