Iran issues chilling warning as Trump rushes troops to the Middle East | World | News
Iran has issued a chilling warning about opening a new front in the war with the United States in response to Donald Trump’s plans to send thousands of US troops to the Gulf. Tehran has vowed to surprise any “aggressor” by escalating tensions elsewhere if the United States or Israel launch a ground attack on Iranian territory or naval operations in the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea.
A senior Iranian military source told the state-run Tasnim news agency: “If the Americans want to consider a solution to the Strait of Hormuz with stupid measures, they should be careful not to add another strait to their problems and predicaments.” The Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a critical choke point at the southern tip of the Red Sea, was chosen as a potential new area where Iran claimed it had the will and capacity to pose a “fully credible threat”.
The defiant statement came just hours after Iran publicly rejected the possibility of direct talks with Washington, although it acknowledged that it was reviewing the US’s 15-point ceasefire proposal, conveyed through Pakistani intermediaries.
Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi told state television: “The exchange of messages does not mean negotiations with the United States. There have been no negotiations with the enemy so far and we do not plan to have them.”
Instead, Tehran issued its own sweeping counter-demands, including an immediate halt to the killing of Iranian officials, guarantees that no future wars would be waged against it, payment of compensation for damage done, a complete cessation of hostilities, and formal recognition of Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump struck a noticeably more optimistic tone at a Republican fundraiser Wednesday night, saying: “Meanwhile, Iranian leaders are negotiating and they want so badly to make a deal.” He claimed that Tehran’s public denial was motivated by fear of domestic retaliation or US military intervention.
But some Republicans are increasingly uneasy with his aggression, fearing a prolonged conflict. However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned: “If Iran cannot accept military defeat, President Trump will ensure they are hit harder than ever before.”
Adm. Brad Cooper, chief of U.S. Central Command, reported on the battlefield: “American forces have struck more than 10,000 targets inside Iran since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury.”
US and Israeli operations destroyed 92% of Iran’s largest navy ships; damaged or destroyed two-thirds of missile, unmanned aerial vehicle, and naval production facilities and shipyards. Iran’s drone and missile launch rates have fallen by more than 90 percent, but Tehran continues to fire on Israel and launch drones toward Gulf Arab states.
Pentagon sources confirmed plans to send thousands of airborne troops to the region to support the two Marine Corps units currently embarking on amphibious assault ships. This deployment reportedly includes approximately 2,500 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division, contributing to the increased U.S. footprint.
The reinforcements offer Mr. Trump additional options, including the possibility of ground operations, even as hostilities show little sign of abating. While Israel launched new waves of attacks targeting Iran’s shipbuilding and submarine facilities on Wednesday, it was reported that there were also heavy attacks around Isfahan, which hosts large air bases and nuclear facilities.
Iranian media described attacks hitting residential areas in Tehran. The conflict, now in its fourth week, has left more than 1,500 dead in Iran, nearly 1,100 in Lebanon, 20 in Israel and 13 among U.S. troops, and displaced millions across the region.
On Thursday morning, air raid sirens blared in central Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as new Iranian missiles were launched after a 14-hour gap. Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE, reported that they seized unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles from Iran.
Economically, the war continues to spread globally. Brent crude rose 1.5 percent to nearly $99 a barrel on Thursday, while Asian stocks were mostly lower on uncertainty about easing tensions.
The Iranian parliament is advancing a bill to formalize the collection of fees from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The move has been described by experts as the operation of a de facto “toll booth” regime, with some payments reportedly made in Chinese yuan. An Emirati oil executive described Iran’s crackdown on the waterway as “economic terrorism”.
Israel expressed doubts that Tehran would accept the US’s terms, expressing concern that American negotiators might make undue concessions. Israeli officials insist: “Any agreement must preserve the Jewish state’s right to launch preemptive strikes.”
With both sides entrenched in maximalist positions—Washington demanding a nuclear rollback, a halt to missiles and a cut of proxy financing, while Tehran demands compensation and sovereignty guarantees—diplomats see a quick ceasefire as difficult to achieve.
Iran’s open threats to open surprise new fronts, combined with the accelerating US military build-up in the Gulf, signal that the dangerous cycle of escalation risks widening further before any exit point is found.
