Iran Warns of Wider War if U.S. and Israel Resume Strikes

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard issued a stark warning Wednesday, with CNBC reporting that Tehran threatened to push the Middle East conflict “beyond the region” if the U.S. and Israel restart military operations against it.

The Guard’s statement, carried by Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency, warned that resumed aggression would trigger retaliation in places adversaries “cannot imagine.” The Iran conflict beyond region threat marks a significant escalation in rhetoric from Tehran.

Mixed Signals From Washington

The warning lands against a backdrop of contradictory messaging from the Trump administration. President Donald Trump told congressional lawmakers Tuesday that Washington could wrap up the Iran conflict “very quickly,” insisting Tehran was eager for a negotiated exit.

Vice President JD Vance echoed a measured tone at a separate briefing. He described ongoing U.S.-Iran talks as being in a “pretty good” place and insisted neither side wanted the military campaign to restart. Vance told reporters the conflict was “not a forever war.”

Trump had previously issued his own hardline posture. He gave Iran a window of two to three days to return to the negotiating table, and separately indicated he had been close to ordering a fresh strike on Tuesday before opting to delay.

How the Conflict Began

The war between the U.S.-Israel coalition and Iran formally began on February 28, well short of the four-to-six-week resolution timeline the Trump administration initially projected. A ceasefire has held in a technical sense, but both sides remain locked in a tense standoff over control of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints.

Roughly 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas transits the strait under normal conditions. Since fighting began, shipping traffic through the waterway has effectively ceased, putting sustained upward pressure on energy supply chains and freight markets.

Stalemate Takes Political Toll

The protracted conflict has grown increasingly unpopular domestically. Polling cited by CNBC shows growing majorities of Americans now view the war negatively. That pressure may explain the White House’s softer public posture this week, even as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard sharpens its language.

Oil prices dipped Tuesday after Trump’s comments suggesting a swift end to hostilities, a sign markets are closely tracking every diplomatic signal from both capitals.

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