Yahya Rahim Safavi, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, issued a warning on Thursday that Tehran could widen the Middle East conflict to the Indian Ocean if Washington launches another strike. He said the war has already spilled from the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz into the Red Sea, and might spread further to the Indian Ocean.
The Red Sea has become a new front after Yemen’s Houthi fighters seized the coastline, tightening their grip on the Bab al‑Mandab Strait that links the Arabian Sea to the Red Sea. Iran has supplied weapons to the Houthis but insists it has no direct role in the Yemen conflict.
In February, Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli attacks that sparked the current war, cutting a corridor that carries about 20% of the world’s oil shipments. The closure has thrown a spotlight on the region’s strategic chokepoints.
A U.S. military base at Diego Garcia, 4,000 kilometres from Iran, sits in the heart of the Indian Ocean, making it a possible target in Tehran’s threat. The base supports U.S. naval and air operations in the Indian Ocean and beyond.
The United States and Iran are now negotiating at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, where Tehran has called for the lifting of sanctions and the release of frozen assets. The talks are slated to resume on Friday, with a decision on sanctions likely announced soon after.