Iran Warns of 'Painful' Retaliation Against US Bases, Cautions Regional Allies

Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters has warned that any renewed US hostilities would be met with sustained and painful strikes on American bases and interests across the region, saying its intelligence points to preparations for further aggressive action.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the command said Washington had decided on a fresh hostile move in an effort to mask its failures and extract gains from the ongoing conflict. It said the decision followed a joint meeting held in a European country and was taken with the tacit approval of some Middle Eastern states.

The statement cautioned countries in the region against what it described as "two-faced" policies or cooperation with Iran's adversaries, warning that such states would be treated as accomplices and could no longer count on the restraint or tolerance of the Iranian armed forces.

The military warning came as Iranian security agencies reported a wave of operations. On Sunday, the Ministry of Intelligence said it had dismantled three militant cells linked to the United States and Israel in the provinces of Alborz, Kerman and West Azerbaijan. Several operatives were arrested or killed in the operations, the ministry said.

Separately, Iranian authorities executed a man accused of supplying Israel's intelligence agency with information about Iranian military bases, official reports said on Saturday. The execution followed those of two other men earlier in August who were charged with providing Israeli intelligence officers with coordinates, images and details of Iran's military and security installations.

Together, the statements and operations point to a widening intelligence standoff between Tehran and its adversaries, even as Iranian officials warn that any new military confrontation would draw in US assets and regional partners.