They will threaten to extend conflict to Indian if there are new US attacks

“The conflict has now spread from the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Ormuz to the Red Sea (with the Houthis). It is possible that, in response to a potential war, this front extends even further, to the Indian Ocean, or even further,” said counselor Yahya Rahim Safavi, in a video released by Fars news agency.

The Yemeni Houthis, which are fighting the government forces supported by neighbouring Saudi Arabia, recently took control of the Yemeni coast in the Red Sea, reinforcing their dominance over the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which links Asia to Europe via the Suez Canal.

Iran has been a former military supporter of the Houthis, but denies any involvement in this new front. The Iranian authorities have already threatened to expand the conflict geographically if US air strikes are resumed.

But this is the first time a Supreme Leader advisor has explicitly mentioned the Indian Ocean, where the strategic joint military base between the US and the United Kingdom is located in Diego Garcia.

Iranians and Americans dispute the control of the Strait of Ormuz, a strategic waterway for the Iranian economy and through which, before the war, about 20% of world oil passed.

With the negotiations paralyzed since the collapse of the Memorandum of Understanding, in July, the authorities of both countries held talks this week in New York, outside the UN General Assembly.

Iran has presented seven conditions, including lifting sanctions against its economy and releasing its frozen goods abroad.