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)
TT

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.”



China Discovers Cluster of New Mpox Strain

A woman walks on the Youyi Bridge at the Liangmahe river in Beijing, China on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
A woman walks on the Youyi Bridge at the Liangmahe river in Beijing, China on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
TT

China Discovers Cluster of New Mpox Strain

A woman walks on the Youyi Bridge at the Liangmahe river in Beijing, China on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
A woman walks on the Youyi Bridge at the Liangmahe river in Beijing, China on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Chinese health authorities said on Thursday they had detected the new mutated mpox strain clade Ib as the viral infection spreads to more countries after the World Health Organization declared a global public health emergency last year.
China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention said it had found a cluster outbreak of the Ib subclade that started with the infection a foreigner who has a history of travel and residence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Reuters reported.
Four further cases have been found in people infected after close contact with the foreigner. The patients' symptoms are mild and include skin rash and blisters.
Mpox spreads through close contact and causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body. Although usually mild, it can be fatal in rare cases.
WHO last August declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that spread to neighboring countries.
The outbreak in DRC began with the spread of an endemic strain, known as clade I. But the clade Ib variant appears to spread more easily through routine close contact, including sexual contact.
The variant has spread from DRC to neighboring countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, triggering the emergency declaration from the WHO.
China said in August last year it would monitor people and goods entering the country for mpox.
The country's National Health Commission said mpox would be managed as a Category B infectious disease, enabling officials to take emergency measures such as restricting gatherings, suspending work and school, and sealing off areas when there is an outbreak of a disease.