Israel warns Houthis and Iran of devastating retaliation

Abolfazl Zohrevand, also a member of the Iranian parliament's National Security Committee, told Rouydad 24 news website that the "extremist current" in India had been ensnared in a trap set by the US and Israel, with the aim of destabilizing the region.

"The conflict between Islamabad and New Delhi is one of the schemes orchestrated by the US and Israel to reshape the region's geopolitics, a move that could have catastrophic consequences for the subcontinent, South and Central Asia, especially China," he said.

Zohrevand's comments follow the most serious clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbors since 2019, India claiming strikes on what it called "terrorist infrastructure" inside Pakistan, and Pakistan announcing it shot down five Indian fighter jets in response.

The lawmaker stressed that Tehran will not take sides in the conflict that has seen heavy exchanges of fire along the Kashmir Line of Control.

"Iran has played an important role in maintaining the geopolitical map of the region, and in this episode, it will also try to prevent this tension from escalating and going astray," Zohrevand said.

India has long been a key trade partner for Iran, although last year, an Iranian trade official admitted that trade with India dropped by up to a third due to global sanctions.

However, relations with Pakistan have been more fragile. Last year, Iran and Pakistan engaged in tit-for-tat attacks which both sides said were targeting terrorist hideouts on the borders.

Earlier on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghai voiced deep concerns regarding the heightened tensions, urging both India and Pakistan to show restraint.

A senior figure in Iran’s power sector warned that even a breakthrough in nuclear negotiations with the United States would not alleviate the country’s worsening electricity shortages without immediate fixes to fuel supply and financial constraints.

“Even if negotiations succeed, the power crisis won’t be resolved in the short term,” said Mehdi Masaeli, secretary of the Power Industry Syndicate, in an interview with ILNA.

“We must first solve the problems of gas, diesel, water—and more importantly, liquidity.”

The remarks come as prolonged blackouts and water disruptions grip cities ahead of peak summer demand. Masaeli explained that many apartment residents now face a cascading loss of services.

“When there’s no electricity, there’s no water, no cooling, no elevators,” he said. “This reduces welfare and may increase social unrest.”

He urged citizens to prepare for a difficult summer and said authorities should not downplay the severity of the situation.

“I recommend people prepare fans and water jugs,” he said, calling for practical readiness in the face of nationwide supply gaps.

On Tuesday, government spokesman Fatemeh Mohajerani also acknowledged the crisis, calling it a “reality that must be accepted.”

The Houthis' pledge to stop targeting American vessels showed “peace through strength does work,” said US Senator Lindsey Graham, attributing the shift to recent US military action.

“This has come about because of the decisive action President Biden has taken,” Graham wrote on X. He warned that the Houthis’ continued assaults on Israel were only possible “at Iran’s own peril,” calling on Israel to “consider hitting Iran hard” and suggesting it “wouldn’t take much to put Iran out of the oil business.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry strongly criticized reported US plans to rename the Persian Gulf, calling the move politically motivated and deeply offensive to Iranians worldwide.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the name Persian Gulf is rooted in “centuries of history” and recognized by international institutions and all regional leaders until the 1960s.

“Politically motivated attempts to alter the historically established name of the Persian Gulf are indicative of hostile intent toward Iran and its people, and are firmly condemned,” Araghchi wrote.

He added that any such move would have “no validity or legal or geographical effect” but would provoke strong backlash from Iranians globally, regardless of their background or political views.

The comments come amid reports that US President Donald Trump may announce the use of the term “Arabian Gulf” during an upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, a change Iran views as a deliberate provocation.

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“Disturbed to learn that Iranian citizens have reportedly been arrested by UK security services,” Araghchi said in a post on X. “If credible allegations of misconduct are established, Iran stands ready to assist investigations. We call on UK to ensure respect for our citizens' rights and afford them due process.”

Earlier, Alireza Yousefi Director General for Western Europe at Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Tehran expected British authorities to respect legal norms.

“We call for immediate and accurate information to be given to Iran regarding the reasons for the arrests,” Yousefi said. “Access to consular services must be granted, and the principles of fair trial must be upheld.”

He added that the timing and nature of the accusations raised “serious concerns about political motives” behind the detentions.

Seven Iranian nationals are among eight men arrested in two major counter-terrorism operations carried out separately on Saturday by the UK’s Counter Terrorism Command.

According to the Metropolitan Police, five of the arrests were part of a pre-planned investigation into an alleged plot to target a specific premises. Authorities say some of those detained remain in custody.

Following the arrests, Labour MPs renewed calls for the government to formally proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. They argue the IRGC’s role in transnational repression and terror plots poses a direct threat to UK national security.

The arrests come as UK intelligence services have continued to warn of sustained threats linked to Iran.

In October, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said authorities had disrupted 20 “potentially deadly” plots tied to Tehran since January 2022.

“Iranian state actors make extensive use of criminals as proxies—from international drug traffickers to low-level crooks,” McCallum said in a public statement.