Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned on Tuesday that a US strategic error could open “a new battlefield in the war,” following reports that a US Air Force jet had struck an Iranian missile system on Qeshm Island. He said Iran was at its highest level of defensive readiness and that Washington was responsible for preventing further escalation. “The ball is in America’s court to prevent war,” he told parliament.

Residents of Qeshm, Hengam and Bandar Abbas reported explosions and tremors overnight, according to Iranian news agencies IRNA and Fars. US media said the strike targeted an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps surface-to-air missile system after a missile was fired from Qeshm at a US aircraft in the Strait of Hormuz. The operation was described as limited and intended to protect commercial shipping. US Central Command did not issue a formal confirmation or denial, and Iranian officials did not formally confirm a direct attack on the island.

Separately, the IRGC said its electronic warfare systems had downed two US MQM-170 reconnaissance drones south of Qeshm and destroyed an MQ-9 drone east of the Strait of Hormuz.

Ghalibaf said Iran’s military strategy for a possible attack had been set by the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He added that senior military commanders and Mojtaba Khamenei, whom he described as the new supreme leader in direct control of the IRGC, had met the previous week and reportedly agreed on a “response without geographical limits” and on Tehran’s right to decide when a conflict ends.

Former foreign minister and parliamentarian Manouchehr Mottaki said on Sunday that he understood the phrase to mean US bases in European countries, including Britain, Italy, Portugal and Germany, could be drawn into a conflict. Tehran-based newspaper Hamshahri reported on Tuesday that Iran had updated its “target bank” to assess scenarios involving US support bases and infrastructure in Europe.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi voiced support for mediation by Gulf states in a post on X, saying Iran had no hostility toward Gulf Cooperation Council countries and valued Qatar and Oman’s role, while continuing dialogue with Saudi Arabia.

Sources: Euronews English.