Iran's military accused the United States of "escalating tensions" in the Middle East on Saturday and warned countries in the region against cooperating with Washington during the ongoing conflict.
"The United States is rapidly moving down the path of escalating tensions in the region," said Ali Abdollahi, head of Iran's military central command.
" Any country serving as defensive shield for criminal and aggressive America will be engulfed by the flames of war," he said in a statement read on state television.
The remarks came after US President Donald Trump reiterated threats to hit Iran "very hard".
Iran ‘won the war’, Ghalibaf says
Iranian parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran has won the war, but it must consolidate and cement this victory. The nation must maintain hope for a bright future, he added.
Ghalibaf has made the remarks at the Iranian Parliament Coordination Council, as reported by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
He has emphasised that Iranian officials must first and foremost expand the executive authority and capacity of the supreme leader, noting that any efforts to build a strong Iran must begin at this point.
Trump again threatens to hit Iran 'very hard'
President Donald Trump threatened Friday to hit Iran "very hard," as US media reported he was considering renewed heavy attacks as soon as this weekend, including against energy infrastructure targets.
After more than five months of war, which began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, there is seemingly no end to the conflict, with resumed tit-for-tat attacks.
"We'll be hitting him very hard and, you know, at some point they're going to say, 'We just can't take it anymore'," Trump said Friday as he hosted a cabinet meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.
The Wall Street Journal later reported that Trump had ordered a fresh attack aimed at convincing Tehran to surrender, which could begin as soon as this weekend, citing unnamed US officials.
CBS News meanwhile reported that the United States and Israel were planning joint strikes on energy-related targets, possibly throughout the weekend. Such targets would likely be oil refineries and power plants.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran's vital infrastructure throughout the war, vowing last week to destroy a bridge or power plant every time ships in the vital Strait of Hormuz are attacked.
The president had not yet given the green light for the campaign, but Israel and the US were coordinating, CBS said, citing multiple unnamed sources.
The report comes just days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington and met with Trump and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Some White House aides voiced strong objections to the plan at the cabinet meeting, the CBS report said.
If the plan went forward, it would mark the first time that Israel has joined in attacks on Iran since the initial phase of the war.
Trump said that Iran will grow weaker, but notes that the American public needs to prepare for more strikes in the Middle East.
Asked about the status of talks, Trump says, “They always want to talk, but they break their word so often. I’m losing faith in them, because they do lie.”
“The five missiles they shot, we knocked them down, but we were in the midst of a negotiation.”
Asked about how many more strikes it will take to completely degrade Iran, Trump responds, “Well, you never know. Most people would have given up by now.”
Asked about a proposal from the military to “go big” when striking Iran within the next fortnight, Trump replied in the affirmative.
“We’re going big, we’ve already gone big,” he told reporters, reiterating that Tehran’s military and leadership are “gone”.
Asked about the chances of reviving the ceasefire after days of exchanging strikes with Iran, Trump replied, “We just want to win.”
Trump reiterated that the US is “doing well” with regard to Iran, that their military has been degraded and that Tehran can never possess a nuclear weapon.
Trump expressed satisfaction with Washington’s war on Iran, noting that Iran’s military has been largely destroyed, and its manufacturing capacity is “almost gone”. “We’ve done an amazing job here, we’re in there for five months, and if you look at Vietnam, they were there for 20 years,” he said
“We’re in for five months, and we have obliterated their (Iran) military capacity. Again, they’ve got some left, but soon they won’t have some left,” Trump added.
Trump also announced an “unprecedented investment” in his armed forces.
Referring to his Secretary of War, Trump said, “We’re also making that investment and looking forward to getting Pete [Hegseth] $1.5 trillion next year.”
Tanker struck by 'unknown projectile' off Oman
A tanker was struck by an "unknown projectile" off the coast of Oman, a British maritime agency said on Saturday, as the United States and Iran vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz.
The vessel reported it was "struck by an unknown projectile which has caused damage to the engine room", the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said, adding no injuries were reported in the incident around 12.5 miles off the coast of Lima, Oman.
Italy minister defends Gulf troop deployment
Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto has rejected opposition criticism over the deployment of troops and military assets to the Gulf region, saying the mission’s framework had been properly disclosed, Al Jazeera reports.
According to the defence ministry’s website, around 400 Italian air force personnel have been deployed to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain since March.
Lawmakers from Italy’s centre-left Democratic Party have accused the government of failing to seek parliamentary authorisation for the mission, saying Saudi Arabia was outside the scope of a mandate approved for overseas military assignments.–Agencies