Iran to shift war to offensive phase if conditions not met: Supreme Leader's adviser

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's definite strategy is to shift the war to an offensive phase if Iran's conditions are not met, said Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, on Thursday.

Mokhber said in a social media post that the current situation has proven the inability of the United States to protect its allies in the Persian Gulf.

"The most sustainable way for a new order in the region is the implementation of the economic-security mechanism of Hormuz, independent of Washington's military guarantees," he wrote.

Mohammad Reza Naqdi, adviser to the commander-in-chief of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), issued a stark warning in an interview with PBS when asked about the possibility of the United States using a nuclear bomb against Iran, saying that if the United States dares to do so, then, by the next morning, all of its military bases around the world would be occupied.

Iran to shift war to offensive phase if conditions not met: Supreme Leader's adviser

Iran to shift war to offensive phase if conditions not met: Supreme Leader's adviser

U.S. stocks ended lower on Friday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 107.58 points, or 0.2 percent, to 53,732.41. The Standard and Poor's 500 sank 13.23 points, or 0.17 percent, to 7,785.76. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 73.86 points, or 0.28 percent, to 26,729.16.

Six of the 11 primary Standard and Poor's 500 sectors ended in the green, with energy and utilities leading the gainers by going up 1.36 percent and 0.55 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, health and technology led the laggards by losing 0.6 percent and 0.42 percent, respectively.

U.S. stocks close lower