IRGC Warns War Could Expand Beyond Middle East If Iran Attacked

IRGC warns "war will be extended outside the Middle East" if Iran faces new military action

Tehran, May 20

In the official statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said, "If the aggression against Iran is repeated, the war will be extended outside the Middle East region, and our crushing blows will hit you in places you cannot imagine."

The warning came amid heightened regional tensions following recent confrontations involving Iran, the United States and Israel.

The IRGC asserted that Iran had not yet deployed the full extent of its military capabilities during the previous phase of fighting. "Although in the previous round of war, the US-Israel used all their capabilities, we did not use all our capabilities," the statement said.

"But if an action is taken against Iran, Iran's new regional and extra-regional capabilities will be activated."

The IRGC further claimed that the conflict had already spread throughout the region, arguing that Tehran's previous warnings had proven accurate. "As warned before the US aggression against Iran, the war has engulfed the entire region," the statement said.

"Unlike the enemy, Iran's warnings are not empty," the IRGC said. It added, "We warn that any new aggression will activate Iran's extra-regional capabilities."

The IRGC stressed that its military posture would ultimately be demonstrated through direct action rather than rhetoric."We are men of war, and you will see our power on the battlefield, not in empty statements on social media," its official statement said, according to IRIB.

Earlier on Tuesday (local time), US President Donald Trump said that Iran wanted to make a deal "so badly" and asserted that the ongoing conflict would end "very quickly."

Speaking at a press conference, President Trump also said oil prices would decline sharply in the coming period. The US President further stated that global oil prices were expected to fall due to abundant supply.

"There's so much oil out there, they're going to come plummeting down..We're going to end that war very quickly. They want to make a deal so badly...You are going to see oil prices plummet. They're going to come down. There's so much oil out there, they're going to come plummeting down," he said.

The development comes amidst the US Senate earlier in the day passing a resolution seeking to limit President Donald Trump's war powers in Iran, according to CBS News.

Senators approved a motion to discharge the resolution from committee in a 50-47 vote, with four Republican lawmakers joining most Democrats in support of the measure, CBS News reported. This was the eighth such attempt by Senate democrats to pass such a resolution.

The resolution, introduced by Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, would direct the President to "remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorised by a declaration of war or a specific authorisation for use of military force."

The development follows the ongoing negotiations related to the peace deal between the US and Iran, followed by US President Donald Trump's earlier announcement to put a "planned attack" on Tehran on hold after appeals from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The US President further mentioned that they are "prepared to go forward with a full, large-scale assault" on Iran.

— ANI