Safavi said the geographical scope of the conflict could widen further if hostilities resume, potentially opening new fronts beyond the Persian Gulf and Red Sea.
Iran has threatened to expand the ongoing war to the Indian Ocean and potentially beyond if the United States or Israel launches another attack against Tehran.
According to Al Jazeera, the warning was issued on Thursday by Major-General Yahya Rahim Safavi, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, in a video released by Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency.
Safavi said the geographical scope of the conflict could widen further if hostilities resume, potentially opening new fronts beyond the Persian Gulf 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.
He added that Iran’s military had prepared plans for a worst-case scenario should US-Israeli attacks against the country resume.
Safavi also praised Yemen’s Houthi movement and warned that a new front could emerge around the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait if the United States launches another offensive.
“For more than 100 years, Yemenis have stood up to any invading force that sought to encroach on their territorial integrity in any way,” he said.
“I must state here that if the Americans start a new war, a new front centred on the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait may open up before their very eyes.”
The latest warning comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining a major flashpoint in the conflict.
Iran has intermittently restricted passage through the strategic waterway, which is a major route for global energy shipments. Tehran has said it would be willing to reopen the strait if US military pressure and its blockade of Iranian ports are eased.
The warning also comes a day after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a defiant address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he rejected US pressure and said Tehran would not surrender.
Pezeshkian accused the United States of terrorism and blamed Washington and Israel for launching the war against Iran. He also displayed photographs of Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and children he said were killed during the early days of the conflict.
“Trump must know that the resistance of the Iranian people will only increase in the face of sanctions, increased pressure, increased bullying. We will never bow our head or bend at the knee,” Pezeshkian said.
The Iranian president also rejected claims that Tehran initiated the conflict, saying Iran had acted in self-defence following attacks by the United States and Israel.
"We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” Pezeshkian said.
He further warned that Iran would not allow the Strait of Hormuz to be used against the country.
“We cannot let some have free access and bolster their interests from the waterway, while at the same time using that waterway to impose their aggression upon us,” he said.
Despite the defiant tone of his speech, Pezeshkian also indicated that Tehran remained open to diplomacy and negotiations, saying Iran was prepared to engage with the international community without accepting negotiations conducted under military pressure.
The latest threat from Safavi, however, suggests that Iran is preparing for the possibility of renewed military confrontation.
His reference to the Indian Ocean marks a potentially wider geographic scope for the conflict. The Bab al-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, making the waterway strategically important for shipping between Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
The threat comes as Iranian and US officials continue contacts on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in an effort to find a possible pathway towards ending the conflict.
According to Reuters, Iranian officials have been reviewing US responses to proposals involving the lifting of the naval blockade and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, while negotiations between the two sides remain unresolved.
Safavi’s warning therefore adds another layer of uncertainty to the diplomatic efforts, with Tehran simultaneously signalling readiness to negotiate and threatening to widen the conflict if it comes under another US or Israeli attack.