Iran warns US targets hit anywhere if Washington strikes

Iran's army has a message for Washington: strike us, and nowhere is off limits. Army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia said Friday that Iran would hit any United States sites 'without geographic limits' if America attacks Tehran, according to Breaking The News.

Akraminia tied the threat directly to the Strait of Hormuz. He said any 'aggression, renewed adventurism or mischief in the region' will not reopen the critical waterway, and that it opens again only if the US accepts Tehran's terms, per the same statement.

The warning lands in the middle of a hot week. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed Thursday it shot down a US MQM-170 reconnaissance drone over Qeshm Island, the country's oil hub, saying its electronic warfare systems did the job. That came after US President Donald Trump ordered a fresh airstrike on Qeshm earlier in the week, and after the IRGC claimed a previous intercept of a US MQ-1 drone.

There's a quieter track running in parallel, reported by the Financial Times: Iran-linked ships have been spotted above key underwater internet cables in the Gulf of Oman, with maritime data showing sanctioned oil tankers and a fishing boat switching off tracking signals and looping over fiber-optic routes. The behavior, the FT reported, fits the profile of mapping cable paths — or placing charges or mines on them while dark.

Diplomacy hasn't gone silent. Trump and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi spoke by phone Thursday about the Middle East situation, with al-Zaidi's office saying both stressed dialogue and keeping the conflict from spreading. Al-Zaidi insisted Iraq will 'not be used as a launching point for attacks against neighboring countries.'

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense and National Early Warning Platform briefly flagged a danger alert for Najran province before issuing an all-clear on X, telling residents to stay cautious, follow instructions and avoid gathering or taking photographs. Iran says more is coming; the region is braced.