Iran Warns US of Opening ‘New Fronts’

A photo released by the Iranian army shows missile launches during annual military maneuvers in the Isfahan province, central Iran, on Saturday (AFP)
A photo released by the Iranian army shows missile launches during annual military maneuvers in the Isfahan province, central Iran, on Saturday (AFP)
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Iran Warns US of Opening ‘New Fronts’

A photo released by the Iranian army shows missile launches during annual military maneuvers in the Isfahan province, central Iran, on Saturday (AFP)
A photo released by the Iranian army shows missile launches during annual military maneuvers in the Isfahan province, central Iran, on Saturday (AFP)

Iran has issued more warnings to the US as conflict escalates in Gaza, amid concerns that Tehran may become directly embroiled in a military confrontation with Washington.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned that new fronts will be opened against the US if it continues to support Israel in its war on Hamas in Gaza.

Abdollahian further cautioned that the Israeli ground operation in Gaza would have “dire consequences” for Israel, urging the US to decide whether they truly want to escalate the war.

The top diplomat did not provide specific details regarding the “consequences” Iran might take in the future, denying Tehran had ordered its affiliated groups in Syria and Iraq to target US forces in recent days.

Speaking with Bloomberg on Friday, he stated that the groups act independently and have not received any orders from Tehran.

“Opening of new fronts will be unavoidable and that will put Israel in a new situation that will make it regret its actions,” said Abdollahian.

“This has reached the point of explosion. Anything is possible and any front can be opened up,” he added.

“We have not deployed any new forces, either in Syria or in other parts of the region, but we have not merely been spectators of what is happening,” reminded Abdollahian.

“In accordance with our national interests, Iran will take necessary actions,” he stressed.

Moreover, he recommended that Hamas release the civilian prisoners it is holding. The group has so far released four.

The state-run ISNA agency cited Abdollahian as stating to journalists in New York that the absence of a workable political solution in the near future could potentially lead to unpredictable developments.

He met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, emphasizing that “efforts are focused on how to reach political solutions.”



Pope Francis's Popemobile Set to Become Health Clinic for Gaza Children

FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis arrives to celebrate mass in Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity, believed by many to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem May 25, 2014. REUTERS/Andrew Medichini/Pool
FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis arrives to celebrate mass in Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity, believed by many to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem May 25, 2014. REUTERS/Andrew Medichini/Pool
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Pope Francis's Popemobile Set to Become Health Clinic for Gaza Children

FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis arrives to celebrate mass in Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity, believed by many to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem May 25, 2014. REUTERS/Andrew Medichini/Pool
FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis arrives to celebrate mass in Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity, believed by many to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem May 25, 2014. REUTERS/Andrew Medichini/Pool

One of Pope Francis's popemobiles is being transformed into a mobile health clinic for children in the Gaza Strip, fulfilling one of his final wishes, the Vatican's official media outlet said on Sunday.

The vehicle, used by the late pontiff during his 2014 visit to the Holy Land, is being outfitted with diagnostic and emergency medical equipment to help young patients in the Palestinian enclave, where health services have been devastated by the Israeli invasion, Reuters said.

Pope Francis, who died last month, entrusted the initiative to the Catholic aid organization Caritas Jerusalem in the months before his death, Vatican News said.

"This is a concrete, life-saving intervention at a time when the health system in Gaza has almost completely collapsed," Peter Brune, Secretary General of Caritas Sweden, which is supporting the project, told Vatican News.

The mobile unit will be equipped with rapid infection tests, vaccines, diagnostic tools, and suture kits, and staffed by medical personnel. Caritas plans to deploy the clinic to communities without access to functioning healthcare facilities once humanitarian access to Gaza is feasible.

"It's not just a vehicle," Brune added. "It's a message that the world has not forgotten about the children in Gaza."

Gaza has a tiny Christian community and the Vatican has said Francis used to call the Holy Family Church in Gaza on an almost daily basis for much of the war, which started in October 2023 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel.

Francis had a number of popemobiles, with the one used in the 2014 visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories staying in the region following his return to the Vatican.

A conclave to elect a new pope starts on May 7.