Iran's military has threatened to launch sustained and painful strikes on US bases and interests across the Middle East in response to any new US attack. The warning was issued by Iran's Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters on Sunday, according to Iran's Tasnim news agency. The command said it had received information indicating that the US had decided to resume military action against Iran with the green light from some regional countries.
The Iranian command warned that if the US commits any act of aggression against Iran, all its bases and interests in the region will be targeted by sustained, effective, and painful attacks, without any limitation or consideration. The statement accused Washington of seeking to cover up its failures and achieve false gains in a war that Iran said was launched on the basis of lies and fabrications.
The Iranian warning came amid a sharp escalation in fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis, who have made significant territorial gains along Yemen's Red Sea coast and advanced closer to the strategic Bab Al-Mandab Strait. The Houthis have also stepped up missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, including a ballistic missile targeting Riyadh that Saudi authorities said they intercepted on Saturday.
Amid heightened regional tensions, US diplomatic missions across the Middle East warned Americans of possible unforeseen escalation, flight cancellations, airspace closures, and other disruptions. The US State Department warned that the conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly. The warnings were issued early Sunday by US missions in Bahrain, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Separately, media reports said Iran had been placed on Code 100, described as the highest level of military alert for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the regular army, and security forces. Iranian authorities have not publicly confirmed the reports, and details of the purported alert remain unclear. The heightened tensions have coincided with a series of diplomatic developments ahead of the UN General Assembly's high-level session.
US President Donald Trump cut short a weekend stay at Camp David and returned to the White House on Saturday evening, a day earlier than scheduled. On Sunday, Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst reported that Trump was in deciding mode over Iran and said very big things would happen in the not-so-distant future. Yingst said Trump described his options as wiping Iran out, letting them rot economically, or making a deal.
The US administration has approved visas for a core delegation of Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, to attend the General Assembly's high-level session. The Iranian delegation is expected to use the gathering to present Tehran's position on the war and reiterate its conditions for resuming talks with Washington. Trump has also said he would be open to speaking with Pezeshkian during the UN gathering.
Key points
- Iran warns US of sustained and painful strikes on its bases and interests across the Middle East if it commits any act of aggression.
- The warning came amid a sharp escalation in fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen.
- US diplomatic missions across the Middle East warned Americans of possible unforeseen escalation and disruptions.
