TEHRAN, July 26 (Agencies): Iran's army warned on Sunday that the Middle East war would widen if the United States chose to press ahead with attacks on the Islamic republic, ahead of the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington.
He said the war had already expanded to the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the entrance of the Red Sea, referencing the recent military flare-up between Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia.
"The scope of our operations now encompasses the entire region, from US bases in Jordan to the countries along the Persian Gulf," he said.
Akraminia said the situation in the Middle East for the United States is "difficult and unsettled," predicting that Washington was now looking "for a new strategy."
"We are prepared for each of the options and scenarios that appear likely," he added.
On Friday, Israel said Netanyahu will meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday.
The Iran war broadened over the weekend despite a pause in US strikes, as Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis attacked Saudi oil installations along the Red Sea coast and Iran accused Ukraine of targeting one of its vessels in the Caspian Sea.
The US military said on Saturday its naval blockade against Iran "remains in full effect" but did not explain why it halted a streak of 13 nights of escalating strikes.
There were also no weekend reports of attacks by Iran on neighbors, similar to its daily rejoinders to the US attacks.
Asked about the pause, a senior official in President Donald Trump's administration said Trump "has always been clear that his preference is diplomacy, but he has shown Iran what will happen if they fail to come to the table in a serious way."
Meanwhile, Iran accused Ukraine on Saturday of attacking one of its merchant vessels in the Caspian Sea, killing a sailor and wounding another, and warned it would not leave the incident unanswered.
The accusation came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv had carried out long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea against vessels involved in transporting military cargo involving Iran, underscoring the increasingly international dimensions of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Iran's foreign ministry said the attack on Saturday morning caused the ship "to explode, killing one sailor and injuring another", according to the official IRNA news agency.
The Islamic republic "has never intervened in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine", it asserted.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that armed forces had achieved "very strong results with long range strikes in the Caspian Sea-including vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran, as well as a warship".
Ukraine's intelligence services (SBU), for their part, reported on Telegram that drone attacks had been carried out against "cargo vessels under international sanctions that were used to transport military cargo between Iran and Russia".
Lebanon's army on Sunday condemned ongoing Israeli military activities in the country's south that it said were preventing its full deployment under a framework deal reached with Israel last month.
"Israeli occupation forces continue their attacks and violations of current understandings and of international laws through the systematic destruction and bulldozing of homes, bombardment and sweeps with automatic weapons in several southern areas," an army statement said.
"The continuation of these attacks obstructs the army's full deployment according to current agreements and prevents the return of residents to their villages and towns," it added.
Under a US-sponsored agreement signed last month, Lebanon's army is to disarm Hezbollah and the Israeli military is to withdraw from "pilot zones" where Lebanese forces will subsequently deploy.
Earlier, the US military on Sunday said it had redirected 12 commercial vessels trying to run its blockade of Iranian ports.
In a post on X, the Central Military Command said US forces disabled two ships that refused to comply, and boarded two more “to ensure total compliance.”
Earlier on Saturday, US forces “completed a verification boarding aboard Comoros-flagged M/T Charminar in the Arabian Sea, and the tanker is now continuing its journey,” CENTCOM said.
It added that US forces disabled on July 24 the Mozambique-flagged M/T Lavine in the Gulf of Oman “after the crew attempted to violate the blockade multiple times and ignored repeated warnings. The ship is no longer transiting to Iran.”
Iran says war to 'expand further' if US attacks restart
It accuses Ukraine of deadly attack on ship in Caspian Sea
FE Team | Published: July 26, 2026 22:55:32
An image said to show the Rona in distress in the Caspian Sea.
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