ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iranian military on Friday urged civilians across the region to stay away from areas where American and Israeli forces are allegedly based to avoid being “caught in harm’s way.” The warning came shortly after Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed that US troops in Gulf Arab states were sheltering in civilian locations, cautioning that their presence could “endanger customers.”
In a statement released Friday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that American and Israeli soldiers, “unable to defend their military bases,” were “taking shelter in civilian areas” and “using innocent civilians as human shields.”
The IRGC added that “since we are tasked with eliminating” these forces ‘wherever they are found, because they persist in killing Iranian civilians and carrying out assassinations of Iranian figures, we advise you [civilians] to immediately leave areas where American forces are present so that they are not harmed.”
The remarks followed a statement by Araghchi on Thursday on X, in which he claimed that “from the outset of this war, US soldiers fled military bases in [Gulf Cooperation Council] GCC [states] to hide in hotels and offices,” and were “using GCC citizens as human shields.”
He further said that since “hotels in the US deny bookings to officers who may endanger customers, GCC hotels should do the same.”
Earlier the same day, Abolfazl Shekarchi, senior spokesperson for the Iranian Armed Forces, told state media that when American forces relocate to a hotel, “from our perspective that hotel becomes American,” adding that “naturally, we have to strike wherever they are.”
The increased Iranian warnings of further escalation come as media outlets close to the IRGC claimed on Thursday that Tehran has mobilized more than one million combatants for a potential ground confrontation with American forces.
Tasnim News Agency, citing “an informed military source,” reported on Thursday that amid growing speculation about a potential US ground invasion in southern Iran, “more than one million fighters have been mobilized for ground combat.” The source also claimed there had been “a massive influx of requests from Iranian youth” at IRGC and Iranian army recruitment centers to “participate in this battle.”
The military source reportedly warned that “if the US wants to open the Strait of Hormuz with suicide and self-destructive tactics; that's fine. We are ready for both their suicide strategy to be executed and for the Strait to remain closed,” Tasnim added.
The US and Israel on February 28 launched a coordinated military campaign against Iran. US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Brad Cooper reported on Thursday that the operation, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, struck more than 10,000 targets across the country to achieve “clear military objectives of eliminating Iran’s ability to project power in meaningful ways beyond its borders.”
In response, Iran launched Operation True Promise 4, conducting thousands of drone and missile attacks targeting alleged US and Israeli positions in the region, particularly in Gulf Arab states, as part of its multi-front retaliation.
Tehran has also tightened its control over the vital Strait of Hormuz, effectively closing it to commercial traffic. The strait handles roughly 20 percent of global seaborne oil trade, and its closure has caused regional disruptions, driving global oil prices up by 40 to 50 percent.
The developments come as Tehran on Wednesday reportedly responded to a 15-point proposal by Washington to end the war and is “awaiting the American side’s response.” However, an “informed source” cited by Tasnim said Iran views the US proposal with deep skepticism, describing it as an attempt to “buy time to prepare for a new aggressive action in southern Iran through a ground incursion.”
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