Iran warns renewed U.S. strikes could widen war across Middle East

According to reports, the Trump administration is taking steps to prepare for a renewal of strikes on Iran. 

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Iran warned Saturday that any new U.S. attack could spread the conflict beyond its current boundaries in the Middle East, as American military officials described preparations that would give President Donald Trump options for renewed strikes against Tehran.

Mohammad Akraminia, spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, issued the warning while saying Iranian forces were increasing their readiness and watching U.S. activity.

“If the President of the United States once again embarks on another reckless adventure in the region by threatening and cajoling the Zionists, there is no doubt that the fire of war will engulf a broader geographical expanse, and the end of the war will not be in his hands,” Akraminia wrote on X.

Official and military sources told Fox News this week that movements were taking place in the Middle East to provide Trump with options should he decide to resume attacks on Iran.

U.S. Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper separately described the situation in the Strait of Hormuz in a video released Friday. Cooper said he had recently flown over the waterway and did not observe an IRGC presence.

“After we sank Iran’s navy earlier this year, we also successfully cleared the strait’s internationally recognized primary transit routes of Iranian sea mines,” Cooper said.

Akraminia said Tehran was preparing despite diplomatic activity involving Washington.

“Given the American president’s dark history of betraying diplomacy, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s army, distrustful and indifferent to the enemy’s actions, is relentlessly enhancing its combat readiness,” Akraminia added. “We are closely monitoring America’s movements in the region.”

Meanwhile, an American delegation is expected in Doha to join Iranian officials for talks following reported progress in preliminary negotiations, according to the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Iranian officials and a Qatari delegation led by a senior adviser to Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani previously held discussions lasting more than 12 hours.

Qatar is pressing for direct U.S.-Iranian negotiations, a source close to the mediation efforts said. An Iranian source, however, said discussions remained indirect and were continuing through mediators. Whether American and Iranian representatives will ultimately meet face-to-face remains uncertain.