Photo courtesy of Anadolu
Iran warned Wednesday that another military confrontation with the United States could spread across the Middle East and put energy and communications infrastructure at risk.
Iranian army spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akraminia said Tehran believed any renewed attack could open new fronts beyond areas already affected by previous fighting.
He cited the Bab al-Mandab Strait and a US base in Syria as examples of locations that had been drawn into the conflict despite initially being outside its main theater.
Akraminia said potential targets in another confrontation could include energy facilities and communications links across the region, particularly infrastructure running along the seabed near Iran, the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf of Oman.
He added that US interests could be considered legitimate military targets if Iran came under attack, as Tehran maintained that its armed forces were capable of responding to threats across the region.
Akraminia also called on Qatar to intensify efforts to determine the fate of three Iranian pilots who remained missing after an Iranian air operation against a US base in Qatar on March 2.
He said two Iranian Sukhoi aircraft had struck the base before being shot down on their return flight. One pilot’s body was later recovered, while Qatar said it had found no evidence that the three missing pilots were in its custody.
The tensions stemmed from US and Israeli strikes on Iran that began on Feb. 28 and prompted Iranian attacks on US military positions. Iran and the United States later signed a June 18 memorandum through Qatari and Pakistani mediation, although Tehran subsequently accused Washington of failing to fully implement the agreement.