Iran adviser says Tehran could take conflict to Indian Ocean if US strikes resume

Iran's senior adviser to Supreme Leader Yahya Rahim Safavi said on Thursday that Tehran could push the fighting into the Indian Ocean if the United States carries out further strikes. He noted that the war, which began in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, has already spread to the Red Sea and could now move further east. The comment came after Yemen's Houthi rebels seized parts of the Red Sea coast and tightened their hold on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key choke point for trade between Asia and Europe. Iran has a long history of supplying the Houthis, though it denies direct involvement in Yemen's civil war. In retaliation for U.S.-Israeli attacks that sparked the wider West Asia conflict in February, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil and gas. Both Tehran and Washington now vie for control of that waterway. Safavi also pointed to the U.S.-British base on Diego Garcia, about 4,000 kilometres from Iran, as a possible new front. This is the first public mention of the Indian Ocean by an adviser to the supreme leader. Meanwhile, Iranian and U.S. officials met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to discuss ending the hostilities. Iran's stated terms include lifting all economic sanctions and the unconditional release of its frozen overseas assets. Revolutionary Guard spokesman Hossein Mohebi added that the war in Yemen must also be resolved as part of any settlement.