Iran to extend conflict ‘beyond the region’ if U.S. and Israel attack
Drivers drive near a large political banner showing missiles being fired from behind Iranian demonstrators in solidarity with the government, in Valiasr Square in Tehran on April 6, 2026.
Atta Kenare | Afp | Getty Images
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard issued a strongly worded statement on Wednesday threatening to escalate the Middle East conflict “beyond the region” if the United States and Israel continue attacks on Tehran.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said that if the attack on Iran is repeated, “the promised regional war will this time extend beyond the region, and our crushing blows will lead you to destruction in places you cannot even imagine.” expression It was reported by the country’s semi-official Mehr news agency.
The comments came shortly after some mixed messages from the Trump administration about the possibility of a deal to resolve the Iran war.
US President Donald Trump told lawmakers at the White House on Tuesday that Washington would end the conflict with Tehran “very quickly” and claimed Iran was willing to reach a deal.
US Vice President J.D. Vance said in a separate press briefing that neither Trump nor Tehran wanted a resumption of military action, and that negotiations between the US and Iran were at a “pretty good” point.
Asked about the length of the conflict on Tuesday, Vance said: “This is not a war that will last forever. We’ll do our job and go home.”
Trump has previously threatened more military action against Iran, saying it has two or three days to come to the negotiating table, perhaps by Sunday or early next week.
The US president also said he was “about an hour” away from deciding whether to attack Iran on Tuesday before being persuaded to postpone the strike.
In this photo from Iran’s ISNA news agency on May 4, 2026, the Iranian-flagged tugboat Basim sails near a ship anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.
Amirhossein Khorgooei | Afp | Getty Images
The Iran war has been stuck in an uneasy stalemate for weeks; The ceasefire remains in place, but both sides are struggling to gain control of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
Typically, about 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz, but shipping traffic has been virtually at a standstill since the war began on February 28.
Trump has repeatedly threatened further military action against Iran, but has delayed deadlines he set. The war, which has lasted much longer than the Trump administration’s initial four-to-six-week timeline, is viewed negatively by a growing majority of Americans, according to recent polls.
— CNBC’s Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.
