Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Saturday that ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon could escalate beyond the Middle East, potentially affecting regions far from West Asia.
Araghchi's comments, aired on state television, highlighted concerns over the wider implications of the current hostilities involving Israel and Iran-backed groups.
An Iranian holds a local newspapers with frontpage news on the US presidential vote outside a kiost in Tehran on November 6, 2024. - Donald Trump has won the US presidential election, US media announced on November 6, beating Democrat Kamala Harris to complete a stunning political comeback. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
An Iranian woman walks past a mural depicting a mock version of the Great Seal of the United States, with the eagle holding syringes and ammunition cartridges in its talons and a Star of David painted above with other drugs and firearms nearby, painted on the outer walls of the former US embassy, in Tehran on November 6,2024. - Donald Trump has won the US presidential election, US media announced on November 6, beating Democrat Kamala Harris to complete a stunning political comeback. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Iranian women walk past a mural depicting the Statue of Liberty with the torch-bearing arm broken, painted on the outer walls of the former US embassy, in Tehran on November 6, 2024. - Donald Trump has won the US presidential election, US media announced on November 6, beating Democrat Kamala Harris to complete a stunning political comeback. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Iranian motorists drive past an anti-Israel and US billboard depicting an Israeli soldier receiving military supplies from the United States with a Farsi headline reading "the American Rabid Dog" at Tehran's central Valiasr square on November 6, 2024. - Donald Trump has won the US presidential election, US media announced on November 6, beating Democrat Kamala Harris to complete a stunning political comeback. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Impact of conflict could extend beyond West Asia
Araghchi stated that the expansion of war could result in widespread insecurity and instability. He cautioned that the effects of the conflicts would not be limited to the Middle East, potentially impacting global security.
"The world should know that in case of the expansion of war, its harmful effects will not be limited only to the West Asia region; insecurity and instability can spread to other regions, even far away," Araghchi said in a speech aired on state TV.
'Israel aims to bring the conflict to Iran'
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has maintained that a potential ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon could affect Iran's response.
"If they (the Israelis)... accept a ceasefire and stop massacring the oppressed and innocent people of the region, it could affect the intensity and type of our response," Pezeshkian said early this month.
On Thursday, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cautioned against an impulsive response to Israel.
"Israel aims to bring the conflict to Iran. We must act wisely to avoid its trap and not react instinctively," the adviser, Ali Larijani, told state television.
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