Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Tuesday warned about bids by Israel to expand the scope of the war with Iran to the entire West Asia region.

He made the remarks in an address to reporters at a weekly press conference held in a war-damaged school in Tehran, while stressing that making the West Asia region insecure is Israel's project.

Baghaei said Israel undoubtedly seeks to abuse the current circumstances, expand the scope of war in the region and perpetrate acts of sabotage in regional states to turn the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran into a comprehensive conflict in West Asia.

This photo taken on Feb. 28, 2026 shows an explosion in downtown Tel Aviv, Israel. (Photo: Xinhua)

He expressed hope that Muslim and regional countries would be vigilant and prevent such "malicious acts" by Israel from coming to fruition, stressing that collective responsibility makes it necessary to prevent the spread of crisis and instability in the region.

In response to a question about contradictory reports of the U.S. requesting to end the war, he said, "At present, our capabilities and attention are solely focused on defending the country."

Also on Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called on the international community to cut all diplomatic ties with Tehran, citing Iran's recent missile attacks on neighboring countries and its crackdown on domestic dissent.

Speaking in a briefing to about 60 foreign ambassadors stationed in Israel, Sa'ar argued that Tehran poses a threat that extends beyond the current military conflict, further pointing to reported Iranian aggression toward Gulf states as evidence of a broader regional danger.

On Saturday morning, joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with some of the leader's family members, senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded through several waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases across the Middle East.