New Delhi: In a severe escalation of rhetoric that could have direct implications for global trade and regional security, a senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has warned that Tehran might extend the scope of its conflict with the United States to the Indian Ocean if provoked by further attacks.
Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, the senior military advisor to the Supreme Leader, issued the stark warning amidst prolonged, multi-front tensions between Washington and Tehran across West Asia. The expansion of hostilities into the Indian Ocean would pose a direct threat to India’s energy supply lines and maritime security.
In a video released by Iran’s Fars News Agency, Major General Safavi stated, “Because this conflict has expanded from the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea, it is also possible that in the event of further conflict, it will expand even more and reach the Indian Ocean or perhaps even beyond.”
He issued a direct challenge to the US and its allies, asserting that the Iranian armed forces have already formulated operational plans for worst-case scenarios should America or Israel initiate a fresh wave of strikes.
Praising the Yemeni Houthis for their strategic control over the Red Sea coastlines, Safavi noted, “For more than 100 years, the people of Yemen have strongly resisted every aggressive force that has tried to break or damage their territorial integrity.” He further cautioned, “I am stating clearly here that if the Americans start a new war, a new front can be opened with the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait as the centre right before their eyes.”
The warning arrives against a backdrop of heavily disrupted maritime activity in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. According to a recent Associated Press report, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also indicated that any further provocation could force Tehran to abruptly alter its military strategies and targeting parameters.
For India, the threat is particularly alarming. The Indian Ocean serves as a critical artery for energy shipments and commercial vessels connecting Asia to the rest of the world. Any military conflict spilling into these waters would dramatically increase risks associated with shipping insurance, energy supply stability, and broad regional trade linking India with Gulf nations, Africa, and Southeast Asia.