Tehran: Iran has warned the United States that any military action against Tehran would come at a cost. Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said Iran was open to diplomacy but was also prepared to continue fighting if the conflict continued.
Speaking on Thursday, Rezaei said Iran had not used all its capabilities in earlier stages of the war. He warned that Tehran could expand its response depending on how the conflict developed, according to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.
“Everyone should know that action against Iran has a cost. If diplomacy can create this understanding, we prefer diplomacy; but if the war continues, Iran has the necessary tools to continue responding,” Rezaei said.
He added that Iran had kept some of its capabilities unused during the earlier stages of the conflict.
“We did not use all our capabilities in the previous stages. We put more capabilities into operation in proportion to the intensity of the war, and we are ready for the next stage,” he said.
Rezaei also warned that the conflict could have a lasting impact on global energy markets. He said the current situation could prevent energy markets from stabilising for the next three years.
“The continuation of the current situation will have strategic consequences, including the fact that energy markets will not calm down for the next 3 years,” he said.
Iran Claims Gulf Countries Are Rethinking Ties With Tehran
Rezaei claimed that the conflict had changed regional relations in Iran’s favour. According to him, Gulf countries were rapidly reassessing their ties with Tehran.
He also questioned the United States’ ability to protect its military bases in the region. Rezaei said Gulf countries had expected Washington to defend them but were now questioning whether the US military could even protect its own installations.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy issued a separate warning to Washington over vessels passing through a maritime route that it described as mined.
In a statement, the IRGC Navy Command accused the United States of encouraging ships to use the passage despite the presence of mines. It warned that if this continued, the confrontation could spread to US military bases in the region.
“The arrogant US regime’s insistence on inciting vessels to pass through the illegally mined passage has increased maritime accidents day by day,” the statement said. It added that the US military should take the warning seriously.
Iran Reports Ship Strikes as Trump Says ‘Something’ Will Happen Soon
The warning came after the IRGC Navy claimed that it had struck and set fire to four oil-carrying ships in the northern Persian Gulf. Iranian state media also reported that three other vessels had collided with mines in the western Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the IRGC Navy said the four ships had crossed what it called an “illegal route” despite warnings issued to the companies operating them. These claims were reported by IRIB.
The developments come as US President Donald Trump has indicated that a decision on Iran could come soon, while ruling out ongoing negotiations in his latest remarks.
Speaking to NewsNation’s White House correspondent Libbey Dean on Wednesday, Trump was asked whether talks with Tehran were continuing. He initially acknowledged some activity but said the outcome remained uncertain.
“A little bit, but we’ll see what happens,” Trump said.
When asked whether he had stopped negotiating with the Iranian government, Trump replied, “No, I think we’re not negotiating…we are going to have something, one way or the other. It’ll happen fairly soon.”
Trump did not explain what action he was referring to or give a clear timeline. He also said the United States was doing well militarily and financially against Iran, adding that American sanctions had ended what he called the “real deal” there.
The tensions come amid a report by The New York Times that the United States and Israel have drawn up plans for renewed strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections. Tehran, meanwhile, has threatened to unveil a weapon it calls the “father of all bombs”.
The latest statements add to uncertainty over the next steps in the conflict and its possible impact on regional security and global energy supplies.