Iran’s army warns any new US attack would spread war wider

Iran’s army warned Saturday that any new US attack would only spread their war wider, following threats by America and Israel of further military action as they hold crucial elections. The Iranian warning comes with fresh diplomatic efforts underway to avert a resumption of fighting, with Qatari mediators in Tehran and US Vice President JD Vance reportedly sending a letter to Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei.

“If the US president once again embarks on more regional adventurism under pressure from, and in an attempt to appease, the Zionists, the flames of war will undoubtedly engulf a much wider geographical area,” Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said in a post on X, without elaborating. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also warned on Saturday that “Iran’s Powerful Armed Forces will deal against those who dare harm our people”.

On Friday, a Qatari delegation arrived in the Iranian capital for talks with senior Iranian officials. Qatar and Pakistan have been mediating between the warring parties, but the talks have yet to produce a lasting agreement. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Vance had sent his letter to Iran’s security chief at the direction of President Donald Trump in a bid to revive negotiations and avert further US strikes.

Iran has confirmed receiving the letter but has not announced any response. The US holds midterm elections on Tuesday that could determine the direction of the war, which has proven unpopular with American voters following a spike in energy prices due to the conflict. Last Tuesday, Israel also held legislative elections, with voters given a chance to offer a verdict on right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Under Netanyahu, who has vowed to topple Iran’s government, Israel and Iran have engaged in direct military confrontations after decades of shadow war. The Middle East war began in late February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran that killed the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as well as senior military commanders. Iran in response targeted US assets across the Middle East as well as Israel.

Most recently hostilities have focused on the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial Gulf shipping route for energy exports that Iran has blockaded since the start of the war. The US has in retaliation been blockading Iranian ports in an attempt to squeeze the nation’s economy.