‘No political border will provide security’: Iranian adviser issues warning as US strikes continue

TEHRAN, IRAN: An adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader issued a warning on Friday, July 17, saying "no political border" would remain secure if the United States continues its military campaign against Iran.

Mohsen Rezaei's remarks came shortly before US Central Command announced another round of American airstrikes, marking the seventh consecutive night of military operations as tensions between Washington and Tehran continued to intensify.

Mohsen Rezaei warns of escalation if US strikes continue

Rezaei, an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, shared the warning in a post on X, claiming Iran's response would escalate if the United States continued its attacks.

"Both diplomacy and negotiations, as well as war, are over; if America continues the war in the next 2-3 days, we will enter the stage of the enemy's 'full-scale invasion and annihilation,'" Rezaei wrote.

He further warned that Iran would not limit its response to proportional retaliation if the conflict continued.

"In the event of activating this strategy, we will no longer settle for retaliation in kind, and no political border will provide security against Iran's offensive forces," Rezaei added.

The comments represented one of the strongest warnings from a senior Iranian official since the latest fighting between the two countries escalated.

US launches another round of strikes against Iran

Shortly after Rezaei's statement, US Central Command confirmed that American forces had launched a fresh wave of strikes against Iranian targets.

CENTCOM said the operation marked the seventh straight night of US military action and was carried out at the direction of President Donald Trump.

The military said the strikes were aimed at reducing Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz while also targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces linked to attacks on American service members in Jordan.

The announcement came hours after the US military confirmed that two American service members were killed while defending a US base in Jordan against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. One additional service member remained missing, according to CENTCOM.

Washington and Tehran remain locked in escalating conflict

The latest exchange highlighted the growing confrontation between the United States and Iran as both sides continued issuing warnings and taking military action.

CENTCOM said the operation was conducted "at the Commander in Chief's direction" as US forces continued targeting Iranian positions across the region.

The timing of the announcement drew attention as it followed Rezaei's warning by only a short period, underscoring the heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.

While Rezaei said diplomacy and negotiations had effectively ended if US attacks continued, American officials indicated that military operations against Iranian threats would move forward.