Iran warns renewed US-Israel attack could expand war beyond region

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned on Wednesday that any renewed military offensive by the United States and Israel risks expanding the conflict beyond the Middle East, vowing "crushing blows" against adversaries in locations they "cannot imagine." The elite force said in a statement carried by Tasnim news agency that Washington and Tel Aviv have failed to learn from what it described as repeated strategic defeats against Tehran.

Despite attacks using "the full capabilities of the world's two most expensive armies," Iran has not yet deployed all of its capabilities against its adversaries, the IRGC stated. "If aggression against Iran is repeated, the regional war that had been promised will this time spread beyond the region," it said, adding that the force comprises "men of war" and that adversaries would see Iranian power "on the battlefield, not in empty statements."

Diplomatic backdrop

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he postponed an attack on Iran at the request of Gulf leaders. Pakistan has since indicated it is working to revive stalled diplomacy between Tehran and Washington following the April 8 ceasefire agreement.