An adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has warned that Tehran could expand the ongoing Middle East conflict to the Indian Ocean if the United States or Israel attacks Iran again.

Yahya Rahim Safavi issued the warning in a video released by Iran’s Fars news agency on Thursday, saying the conflict could spread beyond its current theatres.

He said the conflict had already expanded from the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea, raising the possibility of further expansion to the Indian Ocean and beyond if hostilities continued.

The warning comes amid heightened tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which a significant share of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies traditionally passes.

Iran has restricted movement through the strait following US-Israeli strikes that triggered the current conflict, while the United States and Iran continue to dispute control of the strategic waterway.

The conflict has also extended into the Red Sea, where Yemen’s Houthi movement has recently taken control of parts of the coastline around the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait. Iran has provided military support to the Houthis but denies involvement in the Yemen conflict.

Safavi’s warning also comes as Iranian and US officials hold talks on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York in efforts to end the conflict.

Iran has said that lifting sanctions against its economy and the unconditional release of its frozen overseas assets are among its conditions for ending the war.