Iran warns US of 'new front'

Iran's foreign minister says the United States will have to deal with new fronts if it continues to support Israel and prolong the Gaza conflict.

"The US has urged restraint from all sides, but has stood completely on Israel's side. There will be new fronts to counter the US if they continue to act as they have in the past. The US must decide whether they want more intense fighting," Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in an interview published today.

Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian declined to give details of the countermeasures being prepared by Iran, but his comments signaled an escalation in the war of words between Tehran and Washington.

Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian holds a press conference in the Lebanese capital Beirut on October 14. Photo: AFP — Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian holds a press conference in the Lebanese capital Beirut on October 14. Photo: *AFP*

Many Western officials and analysts fear that the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon could attack Israeli territory if Tel Aviv launches a ground operation against the Gaza Strip. Militia forces in the Middle East could also attack US forces stationed in Iraq and Syria, leading to conflict engulfing the Middle East.

Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian warned that Israel would face serious consequences if it decided to launch a ground operation against Gaza. "Opening a new front would be inevitable and would put Israel in a situation it would regret. The situation is at the brink of explosion, anything can happen and a new front can appear at any time," he said.

Iran's foreign minister also affirmed that Tehran was not involved in the attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria in the past two weeks, emphasizing that the armed groups that carried out those attacks acted independently.

The statement came a day after the US airstrike on two facilities in Syria linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). US officials said there was no evidence that Iran ordered the attacks on Washington's bases in the Middle East, but said Tehran was responsible for supporting the armed groups that carried out the attacks.

"We have not sent more troops to Syria and other places in the region, but Iran will not sit still and is ready to act to protect its national interests," Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian said.

Vu Anh (According to AFP )

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