U.S. Central Command, aka CENTCOM, issued a public warning to civilians in Iran on Sunday, accusing Tehran of launching military operations from densely populated neighborhoods and saying that the decision could put noncombatants at greater risk as the U.S.-Iran war intensifies.
CENTCOM Warns Civilians Near Launch Sites
CENTCOM said on X that it was warning civilians in Iran because, it claimed, the Iranian regime was openly disregarding innocent lives.
The command said Iranian forces were using crowded civilian areas to launch one-way attack drones and ballistic missiles, including in Dezful, Esfahan and Shiraz. Isfahan, notably, is a major city renowned for its stunning Persian-Muslim architecture with two of UNESCO-listed heritage sites, including the Naqsh-e Jahan Square, one of the world’s largest city squares and the ancient Masjed-e Jāmé of Isfahan, which happens to be the oldest preserved Friday mosque in the country.
CENTCOM said these cities could lose protected status under international law if they are used for military purposes, and urged civilians to stay home, adding that the Iranian government was knowingly putting innocent lives at risk.
Adm. Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, said Iran was endangering both its own civilians and people across the wider Middle East.
Iran Signals Readiness For Ground Fight
The warning came the same day Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran believed it could defend itself against any American ground incursion. Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Araghchi said on Sunday, “For the time being we are capable enough. We have very brave soldiers, who are waiting for any enemy who enters into our soil to fight with them, and to kill them and destroy them.”
Trump administration messaging on ground troops has remained fluid. Donald Trump previously declined to rule out deploying U.S. troops if necessary, though NBC reported earlier that he also called a ground invasion “a waste of time.” Reuters separately reported on Sunday that Trump is considering options that could include inserting special forces to seize Iran’s near-bomb-grade uranium.
Succession Shift Adds New Uncertainty
On Sunday, Iranian state media said the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body, chose Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after the elder leader was killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike.
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