As the U.S.-Israel campaign against Iran enters its third week, Tehran’s regime has explicitly threatened to internationalize its retaliation. On Friday, March 20th, AlertsUSA subscribers were notified that Iranian Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi declared on state television that Israeli and American officials, commanders, pilots, and soldiers will “not be safe” anywhere, including “parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations” worldwide.
According to translations from Iranian state television, Shekarchi said: “We are watching your cowardly officials and commanders, pilots, and wicked soldiers. From now on, based on the information we have on you, the promenades, resorts and tourist and entertainment centers in the world will not be safe for you either.” Extended renderings also reference parks, recreational areas, and tourist destinations becoming insecure.
Retaliation Following High-Profile Strike
This declaration came just hours after a U.S.-Israeli precision strike eliminated IRGC spokesman and propagandist Ali Mohammad Naini. This is the same official who recently boasted to Iranian media that Tehran’s missile production continued unabated despite weeks of devastating strikes.
This assassination was the latest in a series of operations that eliminated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as well as most of the top security officials and senior IRGC commanders. Iran has responded with missile barrages on Gulf energy infrastructure and U.S. bases, claiming American lives in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Shift to Global Asymmetric Warfare
Shekarchi’s threat signals a potential shift toward asymmetric tactics focusing on soft targets far from the primary theater of operations. Analysts note that such rhetoric has historically preceded proxy or covert actions by Iranian-aligned networks, including Hezbollah and Quds Force elements.
Iran has previously threatened or actually hit tourist hotels in the Gulf (e.g., Dubai and Abu Dhabi targets earlier in the war). This is the first time they’ve gone fully global, explicitly naming “resorts and tourist centers around the world” as fair game for Israeli/American officials and military personnel. It’s classic asymmetric rhetoric: signaling proxy attacks, lone-wolf operations, or intelligence-driven hits on civilian leisure spots far from the Middle East.
No Uniforms Off Base?
These new threats are now being assessed alongside other domestic force protection challenges. For instance, prior to the Iranian general’s threat to take retaliation international, U.S. military installations were already implementing various prohibitions on U.S. service members wearing uniforms off-base precisely because it “creates a target.” Examples include Fort Huachuca, Fort Leavenworth, Shaw Air Force Base, the U.S. Army Garrison in Stuttgart, Germany, as well as a number of Navy commands.
The Pentagon has confirmed there is currently no across-the-board ban in place, though nearly all U.S. military installations worldwide are operating at an increased security posture.
Guidance for Service Members and Families
For service members and their families, the message is unambiguous: the mullahs’ “desperation” has shifted the battlefield to soft targets such as hotels, beaches, theme parks, and civilian venues where officials and troops decompress. Proxies, including Hezbollah, Quds Force networks, and ideological sympathizers, now pose global risk.
Service members and officials are strongly encouraged to comply with all installation force-protection directives and practice rigorous operational security, such as not posting or sharing real-time locations, travel plans, military affiliation, or family routines on social media or unsecured platforms. Talk about where you have been (after you have left), not where you are going.
Caution and vigilance are essential for service members and the general public.
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