Iran vows to push US forces out of region even after ceasefire

TEHRAN/DUBAI: Iran’s military has said its strategy is to force US forces out of the Middle East, even if a ceasefire is reached, Iranian state media reported, underscoring Tehran’s hardline stance amid escalating regional tensions.

Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces General Staff, said Iran would continue to exert pressure on US forces until they withdraw from the region, according to media reports.

He said Iran’s strategy was to make the region “unbearable” for US troops and to keep targeting US military positions, adding that American personnel had been forced to seek shelter in hotels and ports to avoid attacks.

Shekarchi also warned that any US ground operation would be turned into a “killing ground,” with the aim of inflicting heavy losses that would deter future generations from joining the US military.

On the strategic Strait of Hormuz, he said the waterway had been closed to US and Israeli vessels and that no access would be allowed under any pretext.

Separately, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) rejected accusations of involvement in an attack on the US embassy in Riyadh, saying the claims were baseless.

The IRGC said Iran condemned the incident and denied any role, countering media reports, including from the Wall Street Journal, which suggested Iranian drones were behind strikes targeting the embassy compound in the Saudi capital.

Tensions in the region have escalated following a series of military exchanges between Iran and Israel, backed by US support, with Iran launching missile strikes on Israeli territory and US bases in Gulf countries, according to earlier reports.

Iranian officials also reported strikes on key petrochemical facilities in the country’s south, including the Mahshahr petrochemical complex and Bandar Imam Petrochemical Company, blaming US and Israeli forces for the attacks. Local officials said five people were injured.

The petrochemical plants are part of Iran’s key energy infrastructure, playing a central role in production and exports via the Persian Gulf.

In a statement, the Petrochemical Special Economic Zone Organisation said workers had been evacuated from industrial areas and there was no threat of contamination to nearby cities.

Earlier, Israel’s military said it had completed a wave of strikes on what it described as “terrorist regime infrastructure” targets in Tehran.

In Washington, experts have warned that US President Donald Trump’s reported plan to seize Iran’s enriched uranium would pose serious risks, potentially violating international law and escalating the conflict.

Analysts say such a move could trigger a major regional war, raise the risk of radiation hazards, and draw in global powers including Russia and China, while also disrupting global energy markets and pushing oil prices higher.

Separately, a former US official said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly urged US presidents over the years to launch strikes on Iran, but past administrations have resisted such calls due to concerns over broader war risks and economic fallout.

The US Defence Department, or Pentagon, said 365 personnel have been wounded in the conflict so far, including 247 from the Army, 63 from the Navy, 36 from the Air Force and 19 Marines. Thirteen personnel have been killed, it added.